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A farmer in Ballyroe, Athy, Co Kildare, suspects thieves of stealing his quad on Wednesday 16 December.
“We run a dairy, beef and tillage farm and happened to be working late on this particular evening. We left the yard for a quick half-hour break before returning shortly after 9,” Jim Mahon told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I was sitting eating the dinner in the house when I heard the noise of the quad racing out the lane. I rang my brother to see what was going on and soon discovered a thief had unhooked the milk cart and was full throttle away.”
Brazen theft
Mahon hopes that markings which are individual to his Yamaha Kodiak 450cc will lead to a swift recovery.
“We tore up and down the road hoping to catch them if they were loading the quad on to a trailer but there wasn’t a trace. No investigation has been undertaken, despite immediately reporting the incident to the guards.
“My blood is boiling. This fella brazenly came up into our yard and stole the quad right from under my nose. We recently spent €800 fixing it up and it will cost at least €3,500 to replace.”
Previous incidents
Mahon highlights that Wednesday’s theft is not a once-off occurrence in the area.
“My mother’s house beside the farm was robbed a year ago. We since installed four cameras around the house and soon will have a fifth camera covering the yard. A couple of days later and we would have had footage of the incident.
“The problem is the strong market for these stolen goods. Thieves will only rob when they know they are going to get paid for it. Every farmer in the country has fallen victim to theft at one stage or another and it’s showing no signs of stopping.”
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