Police believe two lambs stolen from a Little Stanney farm will be sold for meat.
The livestock were pilfered from an enclosed pen within the farm's stables on Rake Lane between the night of August 25 and morning of August 26.
PC Adam Norton, of the Western Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team, is urging anyone offered meat which they suspect has been stolen to consider hygiene risks and that they may be fuelling organised crime.
He said: "Under the circumstances in seems likely that these particular animals have been stolen with a view to selling the meat.
"We would urge anyone thinking about buying meat they suspect to be stolen to consider the fact that these animals are unlikely to have been handled in a hygienic manner by the thieves.
"Additionally, anyone buying meat at ‘too good to be true’ prices is committing an offence of handling stolen goods. Theft of livestock is a problem across the country and buyers should make no mistake, they are helping to fund organised crime.
"Although this is still a relatively rare occurrence in western Cheshire, we are acutely aware that our rural communities can be particularly vulnerable to thefts of livestock and also the various agricultural machinery used in farming."
PC Norton advised farmers to perform regular checks on fields where livestock are grazing and suggested rural residents use forensic marking systems such as SmartWater and Selecta DNA to improve the safety of ...
Anyone with information about this incident or other similar criminal activity is urged to contact Cheshire police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
