Man arrested in West Cork farm theft investigation

A MAN in his 20s has been arrested as part of an ongoing Garda investigation into multiple reported thefts of agricultural machinery and livestock in West Cork and Kerry.

The thefts, which occurred from November 2022 to February 2023, resulted in approximately €110,000 of farm machinery – including a tractor and slurry tanker which were later recovered – and livestock being stolen.

A Garda spokesperson said that through an extensive investigation by gardaí in West Cork and Kerry, it was suspected the thefts were linked to an organised crime group believed to be involved in the removal of livestock and machinery from this jurisdiction.

‘On Tuesday June 13th a number of vehicles were seized during searches of residences and farmlands in north and west Kerry,’ said the spokesperson.

‘These searches were conducted by gardaí from both divisions with assistance from the regional armed support unit from Limerick, along with local divisional scenes of crime unit members and community policing unit members.’

A man who was arrested as part of this operation is currently being detained at a garda station in Kerry.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Bantry are investigating the theft of a Limousin cow from a field in Caheragh on Thursday June 1st. This follows on from an attempted theft of two cattle in Bantry on Sunday June 4th as reported in The Southern Star last week.

The Caheragh farmer said it is ‘very worrying’ to think that his cow was stolen out in a field next to his house and the fact that people were around his farm in the middle of the night. ‘She has a calf, so I did think it was strange when she wasn’t in the field. I spent three or four days looking for her before I reported her stolen to the gardaí,’ he said.

While he said the cow can be replaced, he is more worried about his and his family’s personal safety and intimated that the theft could not have happened without local knowledge.

Gardaí are aware of incidents of theft or attempted theft of cattle and called on farmers to be extra vigilant. They advised people to report suspicious activity to them following recent online posts showing markings on trees outside properties near Leap. Several houses  had markings put outside but may relate to houses that have pets. 

Cork West crime prevention officer Morgan O’Sullivan recommended  people remove these markings and report them to the local gardaí if they think it is part of a trend in their locality.