Farms targeted by thieves lose €4,200 on average, according to Property Marking Ireland.

Burglaries cost Ireland over €8m last year.

One-third of thefts are from construction sites, while one-third are from vans and the remaining one-third are from the home, James O’Sullivan from the property marking service told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Some €2m worth of mobile phones are taken annually, while 14,000 bicycles are also taken.

Speaking to a community group in Ballylooby, Co Tipperary, O’Sullivan explained the benefits of clearly marking property like car trailers, cattle trailers and farm equipment with their Eircode.

“Using your Eircode will help to prevent possible theft but help identify and recover stolen property,” O’Sullivan said.

He also stressed the importance of signage to deter would-be thieves.

“We’ve found that where over 50% of houses in a community have our signage telling travelling crime gangs that equipment has been marked as part of a programmed with the Garda Síochána, that actually helps to deter them,” he said.

The community-led crime prevention programme works with local authorities in 12 counties, as well as the gardaí, to train local people in how to use a property marking machine.

Marking your property with your Eircode can deter thieves and help speed up recovery of anything that is stolen.

They then hold property marking events, where the first five items to be marked by anyone in the community is free of charge, with subsequent items cost €2 each.

The machine can be used to mark an Eircode on anything from a drill to a cattle box.

Ballylooby community members at the Property Marking Ireland demonstration.