Nine cattle have been reported stolen from a farm in Ballintobber, Co Roscommon.

The theft is understood to have occurred between 5.30pm on Thursday evening and 9.30am on Saturday morning.

The animals stolen were eight in-calfFriesiancows and a year old Aberdeen Angus.

Gardaí in Castlerea are investigating the theft and the told the Irish Farmers Journal that they are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. The station can be contacted on 094 96 20019.

In 2014, a total of 146 cattle were reported stolen from Irish farms, with 48% of all thefts occurring in counties along the border with Northern Ireland. This was down significantly on 2013 figures, when a total of 298 cattle were reported stolen from farms in the Republic.

So far this year, 35 cattle have been reported stolen. In January, 15 cattle were stolen from two Cork farms within the space of a week.