The finished animals belonged to James and Ann McGahon, from the Stonetown area near Ardee.

Timeline of events

Friday 2 October

  • 7.45pm: Ann McGahon passes the field of 30 cattle on her way to mass.
  • 8.30pm: Ann notices fresh tracks coming out of an unused gateway.
  • Saturday morning, 3 October

  • James McGahon goes to count the cattle and discovers that four are missing.
  • Shock

    “The couple have taken it fairly bad,” said Louth IFA chair Matthew McGreehan. “On the way back from mass, Ann noticed tracks coming out of a gate they don’t use. When they went to count the cattle the next morning, they discovered that four finished bullocks had been stolen.”

    The four animals, worth over €7,000, were Simmental and Friesian crosses. They were taken while Ann McGahon was at mass in Stonetown.

    “It’ll have to be stopped,” James McGahon said.

    Vigilance

    According to Matthew McGreehan, an attempted rustling took place near Cooley last week, but the cattle broke free before they could be loaded. He encourages people to be vigilant in securing their stock.

    “The Department of Agriculture and gardaí are going to have to clamp down on it,” said McGreehan. “They can leave no stone unturned. In the meantime, farmers need to be conscious of rustling when they are putting animals in sheds. They should also put padlocks on gates in fields, particularly where a permanent loading pen is already in place.”

    The IFA chair has arranged a meeting with Garda Chief Superintendent, Pat McGee, to discuss the matter further.

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