Criminals have continued to plague rural Ireland despite the pandemic, with trailer and cattle thefts reaching record levels.

The Irish Farmers Journal can reveal that over 1,000 cattle were reported stolen or missing last year.

Sources in the machinery industry have also become concerned about the number of livestock trailers being stolen. Trailer theft has become so widespread and problematic that machinery dealers are alerting gardaí to trailers being traded in that were stolen 10 years earlier and have changed hands multiple times.

In many instances, stolen trailers are taken across the border and, despite efforts by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI, farms remain easy pickings for many criminals.