A farmer in the west of Ireland who believes his cattle were “ready to be taken” is warning other farmers to be wary of cattle rustlers.

The farmer told the Irish Farmers Journal that he had 15 weanlings across a two-bay shed, but when he checked them the following morning, 10 were locked into a pen and the chain was moved.

“We never had cattle stolen before, but definitely someone was in the yard and put 10 high-priced weanlings for export into a pen," he said.

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“The cattle didn’t chain themselves - someone had to physically go into the shed. They picked 10 which would fit on a jeep and trailer and closed the gate around them and chained the gate.”

Access

The farm is located on a narrow road off the main road and has easy access to the border.

“It is a quiet road; there wouldn’t be a lot of traffic on it. It would’ve been ample picking for someone,” the farmer said.

“We have cows calving at the moment and we accessed the camera at 4am and that turns on a light, so quite possibly that was a deterrent.

“We are getting CCTV cameras installed, at an expense we could do without.

“I would say to people to be aware and take note of any unusual registration plates and if you do see anything dodgy to notify the guards. The guards told us they were full sure the cattle were ready to be taken.”