An unusual theft has shocked the Lleida town of Artesa de Lleida. Between the afternoon of Wednesday 26 and the morning of Thursday 27 February 2025, thieves made off with 1,000 laying quail and approximately 25,000 eggs from a poultry farm located in the Montlleu area, in the comarca of Segrià. The economic value of the stolen goods exceeds €6,000.
The break-in was discovered on Thursday morning when the farm owners arrived at their premises and noticed something was wrong. They found the perimeter fence cut through and the main door of the poultry house forced open. After carrying out an immediate stock count, they confirmed the absence of approximately one thousand birds, as well as thousands of eggs intended for commercialisation and consumption.
This theft stands out not only for the volume of what was stolen, but also for the unusual nature of the product taken, as quail eggs are considered a gourmet food item in high demand in the catering trade. A single laying quail can produce between 200 and 300 eggs per year, meaning the economic loss to the operation could extend well beyond the value of the goods initially stolen.
Following the complaint filed by those responsible for the poultry establishment, the Mossos d’Esquadra launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. Initial hypotheses suggest that the thieves took advantage of the night-time hours, a period during which the farm is unstaffed, to carry out the crime undetected.
Although various thefts from livestock farms in the area have been reported in recent years, particularly involving cattle or sheep, the authorities acknowledge that the theft of poultry, especially in these quantities, is extremely atypical. This situation has put the local poultry sector on alert, as it may be facing a new type of criminal threat, forcing farms to strengthen their security measures and review their insurance cover.
For the time being, investigators are working intensively to track down those responsible, with the aim of recovering the stolen birds and minimising the financial losses suffered by those affected.