A Clare county councillor has called for the micro-chipping of livestock, as a measure to reduce the risk of theft, following yet another cattle rustling incident in the South East Clare area.
Independent Cratloe councillor, PJ Ryan said that in light of the number of livestock thefts, the Department of Agriculture should consider micro-chipping all animals in preference to the tagging system currently in operation.
“It’s way too easy to remove tags with the result that stolen animals are rarely, if ever, traced. Dogs and cats can be micro-chipped; maybe it is time cattle were also. Certainly, it would be a more foolproof system,” he added.
Councillor Ryan was commenting as gardaí are investigating the lifting of livestock from lands at Woodcock Hill in Meelick during the past week.
In the latest incident of cattle rustling, two cows and six calves were stolen and gardaí are investigating. Similar incidents of livestock thefts have occurred in Sixmilebridge and Quin.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.