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Six bullocks were stolen from a farm in Co Mayo at the beginning of the week, with the owners appealing for information as to their whereabouts.
The Limousin and Charolais cattle were stolen from farmland between Cross and Kilmaine in the county between midnight on Monday 5 October and 9am on Tuesday 6 October.
The cattle were taken from a paddock in one of Niamh and John Reilly’s fields, Niamh Reilly told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“There were 12 cattle in the paddock and we reckon they tried to pen 11 of them. My husband went to the field on Tuesday and noticed there was fencing broken around the field and a gate had been taken off a post and left against the crush,” she said, adding that the cattle remaining in the field were flighty and nervous on Tuesday.
Massive loss
At first, they presumed the cattle had broken out and that would explain the broken fences.
“We presumed they had broken out or that someone else’s cattle broke in. John rang anyone that was along the road looking for the cattle,” she said.
No one had seen them, so the Reillys then called the Gardaí to report them stolen.
“We rang our insurance company and we’re covered for everything else, bar theft. We’re in an isolated area here.
"Insurance is a huge factor. Somebody has to know something. It’s a massive loss to us,” she said, estimating that the cattle are worth up to €10,000.
The Reillys are prepared to offer a reward for any information leading the recovery of the cattle.
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