Farmers on night watch as cattle thefts continue

CATTLE valued at around €6,000 have been stolen from a South Galway farm as landowners have again been asked to be vigilant in relation to the theft of animals.

Six animals were stolen from a farm near Gort and the public have been asked to provide information as to their whereabouts. It is suspected that the cattle may have been slaughtered – or have their tags changed by the thieves – who are understood to have struck at 4 o clock in the morning in the middle of last week.

The five bullocks and one heifer were taken from lands in the Raheen area – not far from Coole Park – near Gort. The owner of the lands lives in the Castlegar area near Galway city.

It follows the theft of 45 sheep from Headford Mart last month as Garda investigations continue into the disappearance of farm animals in recent weeks.

But the recent theft of animals has left the local farming community concerned and already it has resulted in round the clock vigils taking place.

Farmers in the area are now concerned over the thefts of animals and are now organising a 24 hour monitoring of farms in the area to prevent another such occurrence from taking place.

Cllr. Michael Fahy said that it was a despicable crime and one that should be resisted at all costs. “It seems that nothing is safe at the moment,” he remarked.

He said that there had been a significant increase in the number of animals stolen from farms in recent months and now farmers had no option but to keep a round the clock watch on their property.

“It is a sad day when farmers have to monitor their property on a round the clock basis and hopefully these criminals will be apprehended by the Gardai,” Cllr. Fahy added.

In this latest incident, gates into the land were uprooted by the thieves who then loaded the cattle onto large trucks or trailers.

The latest theft of animals follows the removal of 32 lambs and 13 ewes that had been left in a field owned by Headford Mart last month.

Management at the mart were shocked by the theft and a special appeal was issued to farmers and people in the Headford area to try and recall if they noticed anything suspicious in the area at the time the sheep were stolen.

A couple of months ago, four animals were stolen from the Eyrecourt area. They included three black whitehead bullocks and a black Limousin weighing up to 650kgs.

Last June, four suckler cows valued in the region of €7,000 were stolen from a field in the Castlegar area, near Galway city. The cows were stolen from a field that a local farmer had rented – they were loaded and removed in the dead of night.