Farmer asks for public's help after 19 sheep stolen from land near Dromahair

The recent theft of 19 sheep from a field at Killavoggy near Dromahair has caused a lot of distress to their owner who is now calling on livestock owners to be alert and cautious of any suspicious activity around their farms and land.

John Cullen, a farmer from Drumkeerin, had 19 black faced Swaledale X lambs stolen on November 17 last.

The theft from the field which is in a very isolated area on a dead end road, took place during daylight hours between 3.30 and 4pm on that date. John believes the perpetrators would have to have prior knowledge of the area.

He only missed the thieves by about half an hour when he went to check on his stock and saw the tyre and trailer tracks inside the gate of the field.

There had been 25 lambs in the field and 19 were taken in the brazen theft. The lambs are worth between €120 to €150 each.

John believes the lambs will eventually be put on the market for sale and is asking for farmers to be on the lookout for them.

They are aged 7 to 8 months old and do not have tags. However, they do have a very distinctive 'L' shaped notch cut out of their right ears and were marked with red dye on their right hips which John suspects will be removed by the thieves before they produce them for sale.

The lambs have a distinctive 'L' shaped notch in their right ear.

John is asking for anyone with any information about the sheep or if they see them coming up for sale to contact Manorhamilton Garda Station on 071 982 0620.