Gardaí in west Cork believe the weekend theft of 18 cattle, worth about €30,000, was the work of the same gang of rustlers behind two similar cattle thefts almost three years ago.
Gardaí from Skibbereen are investigating the theft of 12 Friesian heifers and six Friesian bulls from an unoccupied farm two kilometres from the town between Sunday and Monday morning.
The animals, all a year old, were taken from a shed on the farm in the Lakelands area between the Drimoleague and Drinagh roads out of Skibbereen.
“Whoever took these animals put a bit of planning into it, and would have needed a lorry or a tractor and large trailer unit to take so many animals away in one go,” said a Garda source.
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“Naturally, we are looking to see whether it’s the same gang that hit us here in west Cork before, when we had two similar type thefts of cattle outside Skibbereen and outside Ballyvourney.”
In the first of those raids, in November 2022, rustlers stole five Friesian heifers and three Aberdeen Angus bulls, worth €10,000, in a raid on a farm at Aughadown outside Skibbereen.
A month later, in December 2022, thieves stole seven animals from another farm at Direenauling, near Ballyvourney on the Cork-Kerry county boundary.
On this occasion, the rustlers made off in the middle of the night with a five-star pedigree Aberdeen Angus bull, four Aubrac cross cows in calf and two weanling calves.
Gardaí in Skibbereen believe the Friesians stolen over the weekend are destined for shipment to Northern Ireland, as happened with cattle stolen in Kerry two years ago. Gardaí in Kerry arrested one man in his 40s and another in his 20s for questioning about a spate of cattle rustling and established the cattle were being shipped to the North.
Gardaí in Kerry subsequently prepared a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the thefts, which also included the theft of cattle and farm machinery, and are awaiting directions.
Officers are similarly convinced the cattle stolen near Skibbereen last weekend are also destined to cross the Border as the thieves endeavour to avoid being caught trying to sell them in the Republic.
“All the animals are tagged so shipping them up north is the only way to avoid traceability – if they tried selling them down here, there would be questions asked immediately about them,” said a source.
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have information about the theft of the animals from Lakelands to contact them at Skibbereen Garda station on 028 23088.
They are particularly keen to speak to any road users who were travelling between the R637 road and the R593 road in the Lakelands area overnight and who may have camera footage.
