A farm oganisation has criticised the state for failing to keep track of the sale and purchasing of metal that may have been stolen from private or public utilities.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) contrasted what they called a failure of enforcement with the various regulations on farmers – particularly in relation to fertiliser – which are tightly monitored.
Pat McCormack, the association’s president, was reacting to an announcement this morning (Wednesday, February 2) by An Garda Síochána which highlighted a recent spate of telephone cable thefts in northeastern counties.
McCormack accused successive governments of a “split-personality” attitude to regulation and enforcement.
“It is absolutely infuriating to be reading again about an epidemic of theft right across rural areas aimed at harvesting valuable metals from communication cables,” he said.
McCormack noted that Gardaí were appealing to scrap metal dealers to come forward with information if they are offered suspicious amounts of metal, such as copper, for sale.
“The public would be forgiven for experiencing a profound sense of deja vu on hearing this news as we had all – and most particularly farmers – lived through a similar epidemic of metal theft over a decade ago on the last occasion when metals fetched prices similar to those obtained now,” the ICMSA president highlighted.
“Despite assurances and a high-profile public debate on the matter, nothing meaningful has been done and here we are again, more than a decade later, with probably the same thieves selling the same type of stolen materials to probably the same buyers.”
He compared the state’s “inability” to keep a register of who was buying and selling stolen metals with its “hyper-efficiency” in monitoring how much fertiliser a farmer can buy.
“It is very interesting that the state can monitor and enforce the sale of sprays and fertiliser by demanding that all farmers keep individual registers, but is unable – or perhaps unwilling – to actually regulate the purchase and sale of metals stolen from public and private utilities,” McCormack claimed.
“It is very interesting but unfortunately not very surprising,” he remarked.