• UK Cheese Heist Nets $540,000 in Cheddar

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Cheese Thieves Strike Again: Neal’s Yard Dairy Loses $540K in Award-Winning Cheddar

In a case straight out of a cheesy heist movie, a U.K.-based artisan cheese distributor has fallen victim to a sophisticated fraud, losing over $540,000 CAD (£300,000) worth of award-winning cheddar. Neal’s Yard Dairy, a renowned retailer known for its selection of premium cheeses, discovered the theft after the delivery had already been made.

A Wheel Deal Gone Wrong

According to Neal’s Yard Dairy’s statement, released on October 22, a whopping 950 wheels of clothbound cheddar, weighing a staggering 22 tonnes, were stolen. The stolen cheeses included coveted Hafod Welsh organic cheddar, Westcombe cheddar, and Pitchfork cheddar, all renowned for their exceptional quality and taste.

“These cheeses have won numerous awards and are amongst the most sought-after artisan cheeses in the U.K.,” the statement read. “The high monetary value of these cheeses likely made them a particular target for the thieves.”

Wheels of cheese are seen in this Instagram photo posted by Neal’s Yard Dairy, a London, U.K.-based artisan cheese retailer that says it’s the victim of a theft resulting in the loss of over 22 tonnes of clothbound cheddar, posted on Saturday. (Neal’s Yard Dairy/Instagram)

Local and international authorities are currently investigating the incident. Despite the loss, Neal’s Yard Dairy confirmed that they have paid the three artisan cheese-makers in full for the stolen goods.

“Absolutely Terrible”

Tom Calver, a director at Westcombe Dairy, which produced some of the stolen cheese, expressed his devastation. “The process of making that cheese started almost three years ago when we planted seeds for the animals’ feed in the ground,” he said in a statement. “The amount of work that’s gone into nurturing the cows, emphasizing best farming practice, and transforming the milk one batch at a time to produce the best possible cheese is beyond estimation. And for that to be stolen … it’s absolutely terrible.”

Cheese Heist: Not a Rare Occurrence

It turns out that Neal’s Yard Dairy isn’t alone in their cheese-related woes. Cheese theft is a surprisingly common occurrence worldwide. In the early 2000s, cheese was the most stolen product in the U.K. and Europe, according to the U.K.’s Centre for Retail Research.

Just this year, a German police officer who stole cheddar cheese from an overturned truck while on duty lost his job. He ordered a rescue worker to hand him nine 20-kilogram packages of cheese, worth about $834 (554 euros) in total.

A man  adjust a  shelf of wheels of cheese
Dairy farmer Albert Hilbrands turns the cheeses in storage at the organic cheese farm Drenthe De Hoeve in Wezup on Jan. 8, 2016. Dairy farms in the Netherlands are frequently targeted by thieves. (Remko de Waal/AFP/Getty Images)

In Italy, the prized Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is a target for thieves, with an estimated $7 million USD worth of the hard cheese stolen in the two years prior to 2016.

CBS News reported

The U.S. isn’t immune, either. In 2016, 20,000 pounds of Wisconsin cheese worth $64,000 was stolen. And in Canada, over $187,000 worth of cheese was stolen in 2019.

And even butter has been a target. Guelph, Ont., has seen a

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ butter thefts over the last 10 months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

The Canadian dairy industry is facing a growing problem of cheese Thefts. Last year, a dairy in stolen over $187,000 worth of

Thefts.

Is it just us to it just a Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ butter thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.
Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ butter thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-

” class=”media-caption”>Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The

” class=”media-caption”>Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Cheese”

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case”);

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each. Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent cases resulted in losses of more than $900 each.

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-

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Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts ove

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent ca

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, i

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months, including two in October. The most recent case

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

Police in Guelph, Ont., say there have been seven ‘large-scale’ thefts over the last months,

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