Farmers take up arms as thieves hit fuel supplies

Farmers are arming themselves to ward off thieves targeting rural fuel supplies as the price of petrol and diesel continues to rise.

One farmer, James Crawford, who farms at Atiamuri, near Taupo, has had diesel stolen from his farm tank and is considering installing security cameras to protect his supply.

Other farmers are taking more drastic action, says the national vice-president of Dairy Farmers of New Zealand, Lachlan McKenzie.

He said many were more watchful after thefts of fuel from their farm supplies and were taking up arms.

They were not in a financial position to replace what was taken and were prepared to protect what they owned, he said.

"Our shotguns are loaded. Many farmers are padlocking their tanks, and many now have their dogs sleeping under their petrol tanks. They just can't afford to allow their fuel to be stolen."

Mr Crawford blames fuel prices for the thefts. This week the price of petrol leaped to 155.9c for octane-91, 160.9c for octane-96 and 103.9c for diesel.

He has a mobile diesel tank on his farm and uses about $1800 of fuel every 10 days.

"It's hard to prove who is taking it, but it's definitely going somewhere other than into the tractor," he said.

Mr Crawford has put a padlock on the fuel tank but suspects it won't be enough to stop determined thieves.

Mr McKenzie said farmers were already facing burgeoning costs and this year's payout from Fonterra was predicted to be lower than last season.

He is faced with paying more to have milk picked up from his farm at Kaharoa, near Rotorua.

Agricultural contractors are also feeling the pinch, and many are reviewing their charges as rising overheads hit them in the pocket.

Doust Agricontractors owner Ray Doust said he went through about 7000 litres of diesel a week and his costs were skyrocketing.

At night he disabled his fuel pump to deter thieves, he said.

"How can we be expected to absorb any more? Shipping costs have gone up; the price of fuel has nearly doubled. It's getting out of proportion, and we are sadly going to have to pass the cost on to clients."

Meanwhile, an increasing number of motorists are driving off from petrol stations without paying for their fuel.

Rotorua police Senior Sergeant Dennis Murphy said the number of "drive-aways" from service stations had tripled from one or two a week to one a day in the past fortnight. What thieves did not realise was that the chances of getting caught were high.

"They are easily traced," he said. "Their registration number is recorded, and their faces are recorded on video surveillance cameras."

Police plan to meet petrol station owners in the next few weeks to discuss prevention methods.

- NZPA