A Co Cork said he is “shook” and “disappointed” after learning that he was the victim of cattle rustling for the third time in a year.

Last Wednesday, Michael O’Brien from Midleton had four of his cattle stolen.

“We had been at silage on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and on Wednesday evening around 6.30pm or 7pm I went to look at the cattle. I was coming across the hill with the sprayer and saw cattle in a field that they shouldn’t have been in. I knew something was wrong then,” O’Brien said.

Four cattle, three Angus and one Hereford heifers, had been taken from the herd. All of the heifers were approximately 18 months old.

Three weeks prior to this theft, two Hereford heifers were stolen from the herd and almost a year ago, another heifer was taken from O’Brien. O’Brien buys in calves and finishes them for the butcher trade.

O’Brien detailed to the Irish Farmers Journal how the latest theft took place.

“They had led the cattle out of the field and separated them before moving some of them into a grass silage field. They then locked the cattle in that field. It wasn’t any easy job, there was a lot of moving and separating of the cattle before loading them and taking them,” O’Brien explained.

“I’m down thousands of euro, thousands. It hurts to think that they could do this to another person. I’m just hoping that my experience will help others and people will take mind of security on their farm. I’m beefing up security on mine, I’ve a digger in putting in new gates. There’s no way it can happen again,” O’Brien added.

O’Brien said that his wife is now afraid to go on to the land or into the yard.

“My wife (Judy) is terrible worried since the latest theft. It’s the fact that they were in your field and on your yard. Judy has always been very involved in the farm. We buy in calves and rear them to finish. We put great thought and care into it and it’s sad that we are worried about going on to our land,” O’Brien said.

An Garda Síochána and the Department of Agriculture are investigating the theft.