Gardaí have recovered 18 cattle worth €30,000 taken in a raid by cattle rustlers from a remote farm in west Cork in November.
Detectives with a warrant and Department of Agriculture officials searched a farm between Ballydehob and Skibbereen, also Co Cork, at 7.30am on Monday and found all 18 animals.
Gardaí have not made any arrests.
The 12 Friesian heifers and six Friesian bulls were taken from Brian Lawlor’s farm at Lakelands, about three kilometres from Skibbereen, between November 23rd and November 24th.
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Speaking previously on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Lawlor, who milks around 200 cows, said the animals were aged between 12 and 14 months and said they were worth around €30,000, which was a huge loss to him as a farmer.
“We’ve all heard stories of cattle going missing, but you’d never think it would come to your own door. There’s €30,000 worth of stock gone. What business could lose that money in the morning,” Mr Lawlor said at the time.
“The clever thing that they did was take all the cattle from one pen and when they were finished stealing our cattle they moved other cattle to fill that pen to make it look less obvious. We didn’t realise straight away that we had cattle missing until we went counting.”
Detectives are awaiting DNA testing by Department of Agriculture officials to confirm the 18 animals they recovered on Monday are Mr Lawlor’s cattle.
However, Garda sources said they were satisfied they had the right animals.
Gardaí have spoken to a man in his early 30s and his father, who is in his 60s, about the discovery of the animals.
Sources said arrests were still possible as part of the investigation.
Gardaí are seeking to establish if thetaking of Mr Lawlor’s cattle was linked to an incident in November 2022 when rustlers took five Friesian heifers and three Aberdeen Angus bulls worth €10,000 from a farm at Aughadown outside Skibbereen.
