Quebec police investigating after entire herd of 75 cattle allegedly stolen

Quebec provincial police are investigating after an entire herd of about 75 cattle were allegedly stolen in the Eastern Townships region last week.

Farm co-owner Jonathan Fortin said he went to his field Friday morning to check his herd of Black Angus cows and calves, only to find they had vanished.

Fortin says the alleged thieves left behind a broken fence and vehicle tracks, and that neighbours reported seeing trailer lights and hearing a commotion in his field the previous evening.

He said the loss of about $200,000 worth of cattle represents a good portion of his life savings and four hard years of work building up his farm in Cookshire-Eaton, near Sherbrooke.

Police spokesman Louis-Philippe Ruel confirmed that police opened a criminal investigation after arriving at the farm Friday and finding the cattle had “disappeared.”

He didn’t say how police were planning to retrace the herd, but noted the thieves would need to have access to equipment and a place to put the animals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 27, 2024.