Quick-thinking neighbour foils cattle theft

Thieves attempted to steal cattle worth €25,000 on a farm in Canningtown in Co Cavan recently but were stopped by a neighbour.

The thieves targeted 19 cattle which included a purebred Limousin bull on an isolated piece of land which was rented by beef farmer Donal Keappock.

In the early hours of Thursday 14 July, the 19 cattle were gathered into a makeshift pen. It is believed the rustlers used horses to round up the animals and cattle ration to lure the cattle into the crush for loading. However, they were interrupted by the actions of a nearby neighbour, Sean Bannon. He heard activity and alerted Keappock and the gardaí.

Escape

As Keappock and his family arrived on the scene, the rustlers scattered, allowing 19 cattle to escape from the enclosed field.

Keappock initially reported the cattle missing. However, they were later discovered in a nearby field but one Limousin heifer has yet to be reunited with the herd.

There has been an increase in cattle rustling and farm robberies in Canningstown and the surrounding areas recently. “These recent robberies and attacks on farms are putting unnecessary worry on farmers. Farmers are living in fear of being a target of such crimes,” said Keappock.

“They [the robbers] are putting undue mental pressures on my family. We are constantly checking livestock and farm equipment during the night and oftentimes we cannot sleep with worry,” he added

Since the rustling ordeal, Keappock has ceased renting the 25 acres in fear of the cattle being stolen. “Government assistance is also needed to stop these incidents from occurring. The rustling phenomenon is relatively new to farmers and we need advice about how best to deal with these problems,” he said.

Donal’s advice to other farmers is: “Help your neighbours and set up a farming community watch. Farmers need to work together in order to combat these robberies. Only for my neighbour and his actions my cattle would have been stolen.”