A Co. Mayo farmer has said that the theft of sheep handling equipment and a trailer from his yard has been "devastating".

Around 1:00a.m on Monday, January 3, John McHale realised that his property at Coolcronan, close to Knockmore village, had been targeted.

"There were sheep running all over the yard when I arrived; they could have gone out on the road [N26] and possibly caused an accident," McHale told Agriland.

The farmer believes the theft occurred between 7:00p.m on Sunday, January 2 and 1:00a.m on Monday (January 3).

McHale said that the stolen equipment was "distinctive and very expensive"; a trailer parked in the yard was also taken.

"It was quite an extensive sheep handling set-up manufactured by Ritchie in Scotland. I'd been gathering it up over 10 years. I'd be adding bits to it now and again," he said.

Among the items stolen from the yard were:

The farmer said that the theft has had a huge impact on his work:"You can't do anything without it, the whole yard is bare and it's impossible to do anything. I've been trying to do some work all morning; you can't put the sheep in or out.

"It's a lot more than an inconvenience, it's devastating really. There's a lot of work gone into gathering up this stuff, it's all gone now. It's a fair blow," McHale said.

The farmer said that once the equipment was dismantled it was loaded into his trailer and driven through Knockmore.

McHale said the vehicle believed to have been used in the incident, a short wheelbase (SWB) blue Ford Transit, was caught on CCTV cameras in the village.

The sheep farmer believes that the equipment will most likely be offered for sale in sections, rather than a single unit.

McHale, who has thanked locals for their support following the theft, has appealed for anyone with information to contact An Garda Síochána in Ballina, who are investigating the incident, on: 096 20560.