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Gardaí in Bailieboro, Co Cavan, are currently investigating the theft of 21 Charollais-Texel-cross ewes which were taken from a farm in the townland of Carnalynch. The incident occurred between Sunday 9 August and Tuesday 11 August.
"I had 38 two-year-old ewes on my outfarm, just four miles away from my home," sheep farmer Pat Maloney told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I checked up on them on Sunday evening at 8pm and all was well. I returned on Tuesday evening and had intended to bring all the ewes back to my home farm when I noticed the yard wasn’t how I left it on Sunday.”
Professionals
“At this stage, I knew someone else had been in. I had seven hurdle gates on the farm and I found them joined together to form a pen.
"These thieves were professional, they had a dog with them to round up the sheep. You can see his paw prints all over the ground in the pen,” Maloney explained.
“They stole 21 sheep out of the group of 38. There is no doubt these were local fellas that were watching me and knew I wouldn’t be back for a couple of days. The outfarm is rural and there’s no house on that road.”
Maloney estimates it will cost roughly €3,500 to replace these stolen ewes.
Invasion of privacy
“There are some bad eggs in these parts, it’s a total invasion of privacy. In future I’ll be keeping younger, less expensive sheep on this outfarm,” Maloney said.
Anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the area between Sunday 9 August and Tuesday 11 August is asked to contact gardaí at Bailieboro on 042-969 4570.
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