Farmer appeals for vigilance after theft of cattle in Monaghan
The owner of cattle that were stolen in Co. Monaghan recently is appealing for anyone with information to report it.
Gardaí are continuing to investigate the theft of a number of cattle, from the farm in the Castleblaney area.
The incident is believed to have occurred sometime in a 12-hour period between Monday, November 3 and Tuesday morning, November 4.
The owner of the cattle is urging people to report any sightings of a jeep and trailer that may have been in the vicinity at the same time as the theft that occurred in the townland of Oram.
The owner told Agriland that they have obtained CCTV footage from the area of a jeep, White Mitsubishi Shogun with a black roof, and an Ifor Williams trailer, that has not been identified locally.
The owner said they believe that "within minutes of the cattle being taken, they were already in Northern Ireland".
It was shortly after 6:00a.m on the Tuesday, November 4 that they noticed the cattle were missing.
Monaghan
The farm is on the road between Oram and Castleblaney, the farmer explained.
A Limousin bull, along with four heavy in-calf heifers, two heavy in-calf cows, and one weanling heifer were taken, the farmer said.
"There are six pens in the house, and they took animals out of four different pens," the owner explained.
"The chain was off the gate; the chain and lock were broken.
"They actually closed the gate behind them so that if anybody who knew me was driving on the road and saw the gate of the yard open, they would know there was something wrong and to contact me.
"They closed the gate behind them to cover their tracks," the farmer said.
Searching
The owner has spent days searching for the cattle and for the jeep and trailer, but to no avail as of yet.
The farmer believes that the last confirmed sighting, that they were made aware of, was on the other side of the border last week.
The farmer said that six years ago the farm also experienced the theft of cattle.
The farmer is urging people in the area to be extra vigilant for vehicles such as cars and jeeps acting suspiciously, and is appealing for anyone with information to make a report.
Agriland has also contacted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for comment.
