Farm machinery stolen included a car trailer, quad, welder, drill, impact wrench, generator, chainsaws and a large quantity of diesel. Clive also runs a butchering business on the property, where knives, meat and €200 float money was also stolen. In total, €13,000 worth of goods was stolen from his property on Tuesday night, where he lives with his father and young family.

Having been broken into five times previously - the last incident occuring only 10 months ago - Clive made sure his farm was as secure as possible before going home that evening.

"It turns out it wasn't that secure after all. They cut the security fence on the farm. Before I left that evening I parked the tractor across the shed door and lowered the front loader on to the ground to put all the weight to the front. They took the forklift off the loader and, using our own ratchet straps, wrapped them around the front wheels to move the tractor.

There has been three farm robberies within 10 miles of me in the last week. I have animals calving at night and I'm a big man, but I'm too afraid to leave my house until it's daylight

"It's the same people stealing the same things, night in, night out, from mid-Tipperary across to Laois. I reckon that quad is in England by now," he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Despite thinking otherwise, he said the insurance company will not cover the cost of the stolen goods.

"I thought I was covered, but now they say I'm not unless my property was set fire to.

"The gardaí are doing what they can, but they're not given the resources in rural Ireland. We have one resident garda in the area and any time they're on duty they're taken into the town," he said.

Clive has cows that are calving at the moment, but he says he is too afraid to leave his house at night to check on them.

"There has been three farm robberies within 10 miles of me in the last week. I have animals calving at night and I'm a big man, but I'm too afraid to leave my house until it's daylight.

"It's a health and safety issue if anything. At least if I had the quad I would be able to get away quickly during the night.

"As for my farm income after this... What income?" he said.