Hundreds of cattle have been reported either missing or stolen so far this year - with just a fraction of these recovered to date, according to the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

So far in 2021 - up to July 20, of this year - 546 cattle had been reported either missing or stolen.

A spokesperson for the DAFM said:

In a breakdown of animals reported missing, 316 were beef cattle breeds and 201 were of a dairy breed.

Among the missing beef breeds, 131 were male and 185 were female - just seven of these missing animals were recovered; three male and four female. Meanwhile, 90 male dairy cattle and 111 female animals were reported missing, with just four recovered - three male and one female.

Turning to those reported stolen, there were 16 beef breed cattle reported as such - five male and 11 female animals. Just one heifer was recovered, according to DAFM figures.

Meanwhile, on the dairy side, 13 such animals were reported stolen - 10 male and three female animals. None have been recovered to date.

A county-by-county breakdown can be seen below:

As can be seen above, Co. Meath had the most reported missing, with 94 animals - almost twice the next highest. Counties Kerry and Laois both had 51 animals reported missing. By contrast, Dublin, Offaly and Wexford had none reported missing.

Five counties had cattle reported stolen: Kildare (6); Limerick (8); Meath (5); Tipperary (1); and Wicklow (9).

Commenting on what to do if one has missing animals, the DAFM spokesperson said:

“When cattle are found to be missing or stolen the owner/keeper of the animals should notify the appropriate Regional Veterinary Office (RVO) in writing, including details of animals stolen, date of theft and evidence that the incident has been reported to An Garda Síochána.

"Records of all reported missing or stolen cattle are maintained centrally in AIM Division.

"As the theft of livestock is a criminal offence, all incidents of stolen animals should be reported to the An Garda Síochána by the relevant keeper for investigation," the department spokesperson concluded.