On Monday night into Tuesday morning of 21 and 22 September, six bulls and one cow were stolen from a farm near Frenchpark in Co Roscommon.

The bulls were nearly ready for slaughter at the time and were a mix of Charolais, Red White Head and Belgian Blue, while other stock were left in the shed.

The stock have been valued at over €10,000. The theft is understood to have taken place between 10pm on Monday 21 September and 7am on Tuesday.

There was a lot of activity in the area on Tuesday as it was the first day of the National Ploughing Championships. Gardaí in the area are hoping that with increased volumes of traffic on the road from an early hour that morning, people might have noticed a cattle truck on the road.

It is understood that the cattle were transported quite some distance and gardaí are encouraging people in counties Longford, Leitrim and Sligo to report any suspicious activity.

Gardaí in Castlerea (094 9621630) and Frenchpark (094 987 0002) are investigating the theft.

Steers stolen

Meanwhile, four steers were stolen from a farm in Co Louth last Friday night. The finished animals were belonging to an elderly couple, James and Ann McGahon, in the Stonetown area near Ardee.

“The couple have taken it fairly badly,” 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 between 7.45pm and 8.30pm on 2 October, while Ann McGahon was at mass in the chapel in Stonetown.

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.