Comments from the farmers surveyed included a suggestion for "an app or some text service that allows people to give information if they see suspicious activity - currently you only can contact Crime Stoppers if you see a crime being committed", Macra reported.

Another respondent warned: "A lot of people take photos of their yards and post them up on social media, this is heaven for robbers."

The sense of insecurity was evident in the finding that 83% of farmers taking part in the survey said they should have the right to bear arms to defend their property.

Macra conducted the survey among 264 young farmers to raise issues of concern to them ahead of next week's National Ploughing Championship.

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