One of the highlights of a farm walk in Mayo this week proved to be a jeep and trailer when a local garda went through the legal towing capacity of the jeep and what weight the trailer was permitted to carry.

The squad car was parked close by and the obvious question came as to what it could legally tow. The garda duly popped the bonnet to check when one farmer interjected: “We’ll be keeping an eye out for her in Balla next Saturday drawing in the few weanlings,” much to the amusement of everybody listening.

The towing capacity of the Hyundai i30 squad car was 1,500kg, so when you take off a typical two-cow trailer weighing 600kg, that means you could squeeze in two 450kg Charolais bull weanlings, no problem.