Worry locally over threat of animal theft

Incidents of sheep rustling rose sharply across the country in 2010, and while Westmeath somehow managed to escape the rustlers' attention, in early January, between 15-20 sheep were stolen from a farm at Lisclogher, Delvin.Sheep are a valuable commodity, worth anything between €150 - €200 for a one-year-old lamb, and while a number of arrests were made last year, theft is still on the rise and the rustling at Lisclogher is still under investigation.Last year Gardaí made an appeal for information from the public due to the unprecedented rise in sheep rustling, particularly in Wicklow, where ewes and lambs were stolen in batches of up to 40 at a time.The thefts weren't all of large numbers: in some cases just two to three ewes were taken.TO READ MORE SEE THIS WEEK'S EDITION 22.1.11