A dairy farmer in Co. Cork has had his quad bike stolen, making him the latest victim of a recent spate of quad bike thefts in his locality.
John Lynch reported his red Yamaha 350 quad stolen after he discovered it was missing at 6:30am this morning, May 29, when he was going to collect the cows for milking.
His farm is located in Springfort, which is situated between Charleville and Dromina in north Co. Cork.
Lynch had parked the quad at the rear of the milking parlour and removed the keys yesterday evening, May 28; it was last seen at approximately 8:30pm.
The thieves cut down a wooden fence in order to escape from the farmyard with the stolen quad; other gates entering the farmyard had been locked.
Speaking to Agriland, Lynch outlined that quads have been a popular choice among thieves in his area for the past couple of months.
Close to 20 quads have been stolen in the past two and a half or three months, all within an eight or nine-mile radius.
“I’m not holding out much hope [of the quad being recovered]. Whoever is stealing these quads must be very good at it, because they’ve never been caught,” Lynch said.
The dairy farmer has asked for anyone with information, or any member of the public who may have witnessed suspicious activity in the Springfort area, near Charleville in Co. Cork, to contact their local Garda station.
A new Yamaha 350 quad could cost upwards of €7,000; a second-hand one could cost in the region of €3,000.