Thieves steal up to 30 cattle in South Armagh incident

Newry & Armagh DUP Assemblyman William Irwin MLA has spoken of his concern after police reported the overnight theft of between 25 and 30 cattle in the area of the Crossnenagh Road Keady Co. Armagh.
MLA William IrwinMLA William Irwin
MLA William Irwin

Mr Irwin, pictured, said: “This is a concerning incident and especially so given the large number of animals stolen. Stealing between 25 and 30 animals would take time to load on to a suitable trailer and it shows that those behind this raid are brazenly going about this illegality.

“I would echo the calls by the PSNI for anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity to contact the PSNI immediately and assist with their inquiries. As I have said previously, the nature of farming means that it is difficult for a farmer to completely lock down a farm yard as access is needed every day for feeding and general running of a farm. However it is important that farmers take all reasonable steps to secure their premises.”

Mr Irwin concluded: “It is of course vital that the police do all they can to try and intercept these criminals and secure convictions through the courts. Cattle theft is costly to our farming industry and especially so when large numbers of animals are taken and more must be done to stamp out this illegal activity.”