The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has advised that sheep thefts should be reported “as soon as possible”.

Concerns have been raised about the issue of farmers not reporting livestock thefts because of Common Agricultual Policy (CAP) conditions and stocking requirements.

A spokesperson for DAFM told Agriland the department "strongly condemns the actions of a few that are having a detrimental impact on members of the farming community.”

They added: “The theft of livestock is a criminal offence and as such, its investigation is primarily a matter for An Garda Síochána.

The spokesperson said that the department “provides every possible assistance to the gardaí when requested, up to and including the taking of DNA samples where possible and appropriate”.

They added: “Furthermore, where notified of stolen tag numbers, the department monitors returns from marts and factories for these ID numbers in order to assist in their resolution.”

The department “may inspect farms on foot of reports of stolen sheep”, the spokesperson said.

“Where at inspection it is found that the numbers of sheep presented is less than that declared at the annual census and the shortfall is due to sheep theft, the department will deal with each situation on a case-by-case basis. 

“The applicant will be paid on the reduced number of sheep found with no consequential penalty.”

‘Sheep can stray’

Adrian Gallagher, chair of the Irish Farmers’ Association's National Sheep Committee, said that the “main reason” that sheep thefts are not immediately reported is that “sheep can stray”.

He said: “It’s difficult from a farmer’s point of view: A lot of us are part-time. A lot are not checking every day.”

Gallagher added that a garda’s “first question is date and time, which can be hard to pinpoint”.

However, he stressed that if farmers have sheep stolen, they should report this to An Garda Síochána, adding that farmers must also notify DAFM.