The theft of silage from Waikato farms is particularly worrying as it could mean farmers are stealing from farmers, an industry leader says.
Federated Farmers Waikato president Stewart Wadey said there had recently been a rash of feed thefts in the area, with bailed silage being taken from paddocks.
"We often see opportunistic farm theft of things like petrol, tools and even rustling," Mr Wadey said.
"But feed 'rustling' is only beneficial to livestock farmers.. .if it is farmers stealing from farmers, this is very alarming."
He believed the problem was nationwide.
Meanwhile, Taranaki farmers had rallied behind Paul Schrader, of Hawera, after vandals last weekend slashed three plastic tubes containing 660 tonnes of silage he had stacked in a paddock.
Mr Schrader with only a few days to sell the $70,000 stockpile before it was ruined by exposure to air and rain.
"One farmer has offered to buy half of one of the stacks and others have offered their support," he told the Daily News.
The vandals used a knife to cut through the thick plastic on each side of the three tubes.
Hawera police said the unusual nature of the attack led them to believe Mr Schrader had been specifically targeted.
Mr Schrader said he did not think the damage was done by a farmer, and did not think he had any enemies.
He has offered a $2000 reward for information leading to a conviction of the vandal.