A farmer in Co. Clare is offering a reward of €1,000 for information that leads to the recovery of a livestock box that was stolen from his yard overnight.
Sean Moroney, who farms about 2km from the village of Corofin, in the north of the county, told Agriland that the theft occurred sometime in the small hours of this morning (Thursday, May 25).
Sean, a sheep and suckler farmer, said that he finished work on the yard and locked the gate last night at around 10:00p.m before going to his house, only about 60-70m away.
“I went to bed at around 12:30a.m, and when I got up at around 7:15a.m I looked out and could see the gate swinging open,” he said.
Sean believes a bolt cutters or something similar must have been used to cut the lock on the gate.
The Aerlite trailer has a number of distinguishing features.
As can be seen from the photos in the Facebook post (which were taken from CCTV footage on a business Sean owns in the village of Corofin), there is a red reflective strip across the top of the ramp.
As well as that, the mudguard on the left-hand side (looking at the trailer from the back) is slightly bent inwards.
The trailer also has a sheep deck, or an additional floor inside to provide more space.
On discovering this morning that the trailer was gone, Sean said he immediately called the Guards, who arrived on his farm and took a statement.
He also began sharing posts on social media to get the word out on the theft.
“I’m offering a €1,000 reward for information that leads to the recovery on the trailer,” he confirmed.
Sean said he “hasn’t a clue” what happened to the trailer, or who the perpetrators of the theft might be.
The fact that there are a number of routes that can be taken away from his yard also adds to the difficulty in determining what direction the trailer was taken in.