With busy season approaching for many farmers, An Garda Síochána has shared rural crime preventative measures, following a meeting open to farmers and contractors in Co. Meath.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) have been hearing about rural crime from members "right across the countryside", with high value machinery, farm vehicles including quads, and GPS equipment often subject to theft.

The main advice from gardaí is to "lock up and light up", following "basic" security standards, such as locking doors, ensuring windows are closed, and closing gates.

Meath crime prevention officer, sergeant JP Coggins advised that farmers should invest in CCTV and "ring-fence" their property and land, "making it more difficult for someone to steal your items".

Garda Peter Connellan advised that neighbours should keep "an eye" on each other's property and report any suspicious activity - "the earlier we can act, the better".

Gardaí also advise home and land owners to mark property with Eircodes or other unique identification to make stolen goods harder to resell and easier to recover.

Property Marking Ireland is a community services network which uses a specially-designed machine to emboss the property item with small dots in the pattern of the owner’s Eircode – to make it harder for criminals to sell on stolen property.

CEO of Property Marking Ireland, James O'Neill said: "What we really want to do through this programme is to reduce the fear, reduce the level of property crime, and to increase fear for the opportunistic thieves, and the mobile criminal gangs".

O'Neill added that warning signs provided by gardaí that property is "marked and traceable" can act as a deterrent for thieves.

It has also been advised for property owners to keep track of serial numbers, which can be presented to gardaí working to relocate stolen goods.