The theft happened in the Dungiven area of Co Derry on Thursday, with the sheep taken from a field with road access.

Farmer Ryan Brolly runs a flock of 300 sheep and noticed the theft on Friday evening. He says the cost of the theft will have a considerable impact on his family farm.

The 18 ewes were due to lamb in two weeks and were worth an estimated £3,240.

However, the Texel ram was worth considerably more, at an estimated price of £1,000, as he was an embryo transfer bought into the farm and kept for breeding.

Mr Brolly believes that the theft was opportunistic but that some planning was involved.

“The field is by a busy road and they definitely used a dog to get the sheep out. There’s no way 19 sheep came out from the others without a dog, and they would’ve had to have a trailer.”

Mr Brolly and his family have contacted local farmers and marts regarding the theft and are appealing to the public for help to locate their sheep.

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