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A dairy farmer fears tonnes of his stolen award-winning cheddar may end up on the streets of Russia or the Middle East.
Neal’s Yard Dairy delivered 950 wheels of cheddar, worth £300,000, to an alleged thief posing as a French wholesale distributor before the scam was discovered.
Patrick Holden, owner of Holden Farm Dairy, told The Independent that two-and-a-half tonnes of his Hafod Welsh Cheddar, made using a hundred-year-old recipe from his 90-cow herd, was among the stock stolen on 21 October.
He said: “It was the biggest order we ever had – so it was quite a shock.
“Our cheese is limited in quantity but we had it in storage and we worked out it was the most we could spare.
Mr Holden’s Hafod Welsh Cheddar was among the cheese stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy (Sustainable Food Trust)
“The people who did the heist covered their tracks. They got it delivered to a warehouse on the outskirts of London where transport was waiting to take it away – so they broke the chain.
“We think it will end up in the Middle East or Russia where people aren’t going to ask questions about where it came from.”
Stressing he was speculating, he added: “There are a lot of Russians who value good food. They’ve been denied access to it since the start of the war with Ukraine.
“We would love to know where it has been taken. This is why you need to know the story behind the food you eat.”
Mr Holden said the theft is ‘a violation of what we stand for’ (Sustainable Food Trust)
Mr Holden also fears dairies may lose their trust in customers in the future, adding: “We believe your word is your bond and we should trade honestly and the whole artisan cheese community believes that.
“Maybe they will be more careful in the future but I hope they don’t change that.”
Addressing the thieves directly, he said: “The way you’re behaving is part of a food system that is broken. There shouldn’t be a market for stolen goods from authentic food production.
“It’s a violation of what we stand for.”
The Met Police is investigating and Neal’s Yard Dairy said it was working with “international authorities” to identify the scammer.
The fraudulent buyer allegedly posed as a legitimate wholesale distributor (Sustainable Food Trust)
The farmer also thanked Neal’s Yard Dairy after the company based in Southwark, London, honoured the payment to suppliers despite the theft.
Mr Holden added: “Even though our cheese is reassuringly expensive we don’t make much more than cost. I still have a day job – other small dairy farms have more or less disappeared, they can’t survive.”
Jamie Oliver asked fans to be on the lookout in a post on Instagram and said: “There has been a great cheese robbery. Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.”
The celebrity chef described it as a “real shame”, adding: “If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns.”
Neil’s Yard said in an Instagram post: “To everyone who has rallied to support us in the last few days — thank you.
“Since sharing the news of our theft, we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages, and visits. We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It’s a reminder of why we love the work we do.
“Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, we say: continue to support British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork, and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse Cheddar. Eat them. Celebrate them. We will be here, championing British and Irish cheese, for a long time to come.”