Victorian beef and dairy farmer Russell Follett said he was left stunned after discovering thieves had drilled a hole into his tractor’s fuel tank, draining it completely.
Mr Follett, from Gem-Brae Ag in Nyora, southeast of Melbourne, said the incident unfolded while feeding cattle.
“We drove the tractor out of the shed, and it only went about 20 metres before it cut out,” Mr Follett said.
“We’d thought it’d just done a fuel line, but then we had a closer look and realised they’d drilled a hole in the tank.”
The tractor was carrying about 100 litres of diesel, all of it gone.
Mr Follett said the farm had not seen anything like it in years.
“The last time something like this happened was about five years ago,” Mr Follett said.
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In the days leading up to the theft, Mr Follett said there were signs something wasn’t right.
He spotted a suspicious vehicle entering the property, driving up access tracks before turning around and leaving, prompting him to move fuel supplies further out of sight.
“We had a large fuel trailer down there, so we shifted it right up the farm,” Mr Follett said.
But even that wasn’t enough to deter offenders.
Mr Follett said even securing his properties and monitoring surveillance wasn’t enough.
“You can lock the gates… but with an angle grinder, they can be in and out in minutes,” Mr Follett said.
“You put cameras up, but they’ve always got a hoodie or a mask or stolen number plates.”
Despite those efforts, he warned that offenders were becoming harder to stop.
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“Some of them are very clever,” Mr Follett said.
Mr Follett said rising fuel costs were adding to the pressure, with diesel critical to running machinery and transporting livestock across multiple properties.
“We run a lot of tractors and cattle across farms in different states… so the price of diesel is going to have a big impact,” Mr Follett said.
His advice to other farmers was simple.
“Just be vigilant… keep an eye out for strange vehicles.”
A Victoria Police spokesman said officers, including the Farm Crime Unit, were actively monitoring reports of fuel theft across rural areas and working closely with the farming community.
They urged farmers to take precautions such as locking gates, machinery and fuel storage, improving visibility around sheds, and ensuring storage areas are well-lit at night.
“If you know something, see something or hear something that is not right, please say something,” the spokesman said.
In New South Wales, officers are investigating multiple incidents, including the theft of 800 litres of diesel from a property near Orange, along with other cases involving fuel taken from trucks and storage tanks.
Detective Acting Inspector Andrew McLean from NSW Police said rising fuel prices were driving the trend.
“In agriculture, whenever the cost of commodities or items used on the farm goes up, they tend to get stolen more,” Mr McLean said.
“With fuel prices the way they are… we would expect continued reports of theft.”
In Western Australia, authorities are also preparing for an increase.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the force was bracing for a spike in fuel theft and “drive-offs” as prices surge and supply concerns grow.
“What people would really be doing is just stealing it from someone else who is in the exact same circumstance,” Mr Blanch said.
“It’s a criminal offence… you can go to prison.”
