A Co Kerry sheep farmer has expressed disappointment with the Department of Agriculture as he deals with the aftermath of a series of sheep thefts that dealt a blow to his flock numbers late last year.

Denis O’Connor from the Clonkeen area of Killarney had 159 sheep stolen over a suspected three separate incidents, in the months leading up to November 2025.

The farmer now finds himself in limbo on 2026 farm payments, as the reduction to his ewe numbers could hit cashflow.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The first theft must have taken place on the mountain. There was 120 ewes missing when we had them gathered for shearing,” O’Connor told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“There was another 29 missing for dipping in mid-October and 10 more went in early November.

Kick the can

“Any time I try to find out what this will mean for payments, whoever I get talking to in the Department just seems to kick the can down the road, and that is if you even get to talking to anyone when you ring them up.

“Nobody is able to give me a straight answer and you can never talk to the same person twice.”

O’Connor’s frustration with authorities as he struggles to deal with the fallout of the thefts goes beyond the Department of Agriculture.

“The Gardaí at the time called out to the house and took the details. But I have spoken with no guards over the past three months. There has been no support from them either.”

When taken, the sheep would have had a red marking around the shoulder area and a notch on their right ear.

The sheep were a mix of Blackface ewes and Texel, Cheviot and Charollais crosses, mostly two to three years old.

The farmer encouraged farmers who are the victims of thefts to report all incidents to An Garda Síochána.

“There might be a lot of people who say that there’s no point in reporting it but if everyone reported thefts, the issue would at least get talked about.”