'Night farmers' have been stealing truckloads of crops and handing them on to restaurants.

The crime wave has left farmers so angry some have been carving their names into vegetables so they can identify them if stolen, while one reportedly attacked thieves with a baseball bat.

Environment Minister Glenn Blakeney called a press conference yesterday to call for greater vigilance from the public and warn that eating stolen crops is dangerous if they have recently been sprayed with chemicals.

Until recently, night farming has mainly been theft for personal consumption, but it is thought the economic crisis has increased the market for stolen food.

Mr. Blakeney told the media one farmer whose field was raided discovered an order list left behind detailing restaurants and the produce they wanted.

One farmer is said to have etched his name into his pumpkins and then visited restaurants after they were stolen, claiming he wanted a "chat and a drink of water".

He then checked the groceries in the kitchens, finding his own vegetables in two different restaurants, one of which has since been closed.

Another is said to have taken matters into his own hands, creeping up on a group of night farmers in his field and hitting one of them with a baseball bat, forcing them to run away empty-handed.

Farmer Tom Wadson told the press conference he caught a man stealing his strawberries, claiming he was going to give them to his children.

"I don't have any tolerance whatsoever to theft. Neither do my colleagues," Mr. Wadson said.

"Some people think this is dire. Indeed it is, we have got some hardworking guys here. It's difficult enough on a good day. We have got this stuff coming at us, we will not tolerate it.

"We would like those with untoward ideas to respect us. We have earned it, we need it, we deserve it."

Mr. Blakeney said: "The lack of respect shown by some persons in this community towards our hardworking farmers is not only offensive and insulting to me and surely to most members of this community, it is also illegal.

"So my message to those who are perpetrating these crimes is to cease and desist. This Ministry will be looking at ways to help farmers protect their investment and livelihood and, if caught, thieves will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"Members of the community should also be cautious when obtaining produce from unknown sources as eating the food may make them sick.

'Produce that has been stolen may have been sprayed with various chemicals that are not harmful to humans when they have been given adequate time between application and harvesting.

"However, if the produce is picked too soon after a chemical application, consuming the produce could be detrimental to health, especially in children."

Stealing agricultural produce, or receiving such goods, carries a maximum fine of $10,000 or five years in prison.