Seven cattle worth between €10,000 and €12,000 were stolen from a farm in Ballyvourney in west Cork on Saturday 24 December.

Four in-calf Aubrac-cross cows, two Angus-cross weanlings and a five-star pedigree Angus bull were stolen from Jack Corkery’s outfarm in the early hours of Saturday morning.

There were 42 cattle in the slatted shed in total which is located off the N22, the main road from Cork city to Killarney.

Footage of a dark Volkswagen jeep towing a triple-axle trailer accompanied by a small red car has been secured on both CCTV and dash cam footage in the area.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Jack Corkery’s daughter Áine said they were completely shocked to find the cattle missing when they went down to feed the cattle Saturday morning.

“We know they came from the Kerry direction because the owner of the Top of Croom saw the jeep and car on his CCTV.

“They came over the Top of Croom at 2:10am and once they had the cattle loaded, they went west on the N22 back over the county bounds into Kerry. They didn’t go back the same way they came,” she said.

Corkery said she doesn’t believe the cattle were headed for the factory or a butcher.

“I’ve a feeling they were cattle by order. They took the two smallest calves and maybe they had a cow who had died and they just swapped the tags in the cows’ ears.

In a statement gardaí said they are investigating the theft of a number of livestock from a premises in Direenauling, Ballyvourney, Co Cork.

“No arrests have been made, investigations are ongoing,” a garda spokesperson said.