‘We’ll try and keep ahead of the thief’ - Mayo farmers combat farm theft

A Garda-led property marking scheme has been welcomed by Mayo farmers and local representatives as concerns grow over sophisticated theft gangs targeting rural communities.

The initiative, which had a marking event in Westport this week, aims to help farmers protect valuable equipment and improve recovery rates when theft does occur. Garda Shane Nallen emphasised the program's preventative focus, stating it's "a great initiative for us in Westport to highlight the farm thefts and prevent them."

Garda Alan McGrath from Foxford Garda Station explains that marking farm equipment with eircodes makes the Gardaí’s job a lot easier and acts as a deterrent for would-be thieves. 

“We can have the owner within minutes and have a location of where it has come from. We can check our Pulse system and see if there was a trailer theft coming from that address.”

“They know it's marked, but the idea is that the mark doesn't stand out, but it's somewhere in the trailer.”

He also advises farmers to record the serial numbers on all the trailers. There is also a Garda property app where farmers can upload pictures of their property so that if anything is stolen, they have pictures, details and records of the item. 

Garda Shane Nallen and Garda Alan McGrath

Local farmer and former Senator Frank Chambers expressed strong support for the service, noting it "helps in the whole process of people managing and minding their own properties." He added that the marking system provides crucial assistance "if something is stolen, that there's some connection to be made between the stolen article and what belongs to the people."

However, farmers acknowledge the challenges of securing equipment on working farms. One local farmer explained the difficulty of maintaining constant vigilance: "Sometimes with equipment around the farmyard and that kind of stuff, you are careful for a while if you've something new, but you tend to get careless after a while." With his property located on a busy main road where "stuff can be seen from the road," he remains determined to stay alert, saying, "We'll try and keep ahead of the thief."

Councillor Patsy O'Brien, who recently had a chainsaw stolen from outside his home in broad daylight, brought personal experience to his endorsement of the initiative. "It's every farmer's worst nightmare," he said, warning that criminals are increasingly using modern technology to identify targets. "Drones can be used to scan over farms and identify where machinery is. These are sophisticated, well-organised gangs and they know what they're looking for."

Cllr O'Brien is pushing for enhanced security measures, calling for cameras to be installed on bridges crossing the Shannon River to monitor vehicle movements in and out of the area.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme