A total of 125 cattle were stolen from farms in the Republic of Ireland during 2016, according to official figures from the Department of Agriculture.
This tally is approximately 40% lower than the level of cattle thefts witnessed in 2015 – a year in which some 209 animals were taken.
Data from the Department also shows that 14 cattle have been stolen from Irish farms thus far in 2017.
Statistics spiked in 2015 due to a large theft of livestock in Co. Westmeath, where 75 cattle and 25 sheep were taken from a farm at Cornaher (between Kilbeggan and Tyrrellspass) on June 25 of that year.
Other counties to report 10 or more cattle stolen in 2015 include Roscommon, Louth, Monaghan and Cork; a total of seven counties reported no thefts.
Meanwhile, in 2016, cattle thefts reported in counties Kildare (27) , Wexford (13) and Monaghan (41) made up 65% of the total number of thefts reported across the Republic of Ireland.
Figures sourced from the Department of Agriculture
Leinster was the worst-affected region for cattle thefts in 2016, due to the high numbers reported in counties Kildare and Wexford.
According to Department figures, a total of 11 counties reported no thefts of cattle in 2016.
Since the beginning of 2015, there have been no cattle reported stolen in counties Carlow, Longford, Cavan, Leitrim and Tipperary, figures from the Department show.
‘Two thirds of farmers are now victims of crime’
A recent survey, carried out by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), indicated that two thirds of Irish farming families have been affected by crime relating to their farming enterprise.
The results of this National Agriculture Crime Survey showed that just over 40% of respondents had been victims of theft.
Livestock-related thefts accounted for 10% of the overall number of thefts recorded in the survey.
The survey was undertaken in conjunction with Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and received over 800 responses.