Incidents of vandalism, criminal damage and trespassing on Irish farms were reported by 39% of respondents in an independent agricultural crime survey carried out by researchers from Waterford Institute of Technology.
The survey was made available on the ICSA website and, of the 814 respondents who recorded whether they had experiences of vandalism, criminal damage and trespassing (VCDT) on their farms, 316 respondents noted 711 incidents of VCDT.
The report suggests the affected farmers tend to be repeat victims of VCDT crimes, with 56% of the 711 incidents being a repeat incident and 21% being the first of multiple incidents.
Trespassing was the most common type of VCDT crime recorded, accounting for 65% of incidents. Destruction or injury to personal property accounted for 20% of incidents, with destruction or injury to land accounting for 15% of VCDT incidents recorded.
“Two types of VCDT account for nearly half of all the incidents of VCDT recorded, namely unauthorised hunting, fishing or shooting and rubbish dumping,” the report states.
The headline finding from the report is that two-thirds of Irish farming families have been victims of some sort of agricultural crime.
“The results of the survey reveal that the issue of agricultural crime is a far bigger one than official garda statistics would suggest. They would also suggest that the courts have adopted a far too lenient approach to offenders, particularly to repeat offenders,” said ICSA president Patrick Kent.
Read more
50% increase in fly-tipping
Legal query: hunting and shooting on my land
“My father would go without food to help others ... this is unbelievable”
Serious arson attacks cause €60,000 worth of damage
Incidents of vandalism, criminal damage and trespassing on Irish farms were reported by 39% of respondents in an independent agricultural crime survey carried out by researchers from Waterford Institute of Technology.
The survey was made available on the ICSA website and, of the 814 respondents who recorded whether they had experiences of vandalism, criminal damage and trespassing (VCDT) on their farms, 316 respondents noted 711 incidents of VCDT.
The report suggests the affected farmers tend to be repeat victims of VCDT crimes, with 56% of the 711 incidents being a repeat incident and 21% being the first of multiple incidents.
Trespassing was the most common type of VCDT crime recorded, accounting for 65% of incidents. Destruction or injury to personal property accounted for 20% of incidents, with destruction or injury to land accounting for 15% of VCDT incidents recorded.
“Two types of VCDT account for nearly half of all the incidents of VCDT recorded, namely unauthorised hunting, fishing or shooting and rubbish dumping,” the report states.
The headline finding from the report is that two-thirds of Irish farming families have been victims of some sort of agricultural crime.
“The results of the survey reveal that the issue of agricultural crime is a far bigger one than official garda statistics would suggest. They would also suggest that the courts have adopted a far too lenient approach to offenders, particularly to repeat offenders,” said ICSA president Patrick Kent.
Read more
50% increase in fly-tipping
Legal query: hunting and shooting on my land
“My father would go without food to help others ... this is unbelievable”
Serious arson attacks cause €60,000 worth of damage
SHARING OPTIONS