Trespassing on farms is on the rise across the country and is becoming aggressive, a farmer has said.

The Irish Farmers Association has said that farmers are dealing with trespassers on their land once or twice per month.

The organisation said the current level of activities such as lurching and illegal hunting on farmers' land is "outrageous”.

On The Hard Shoulder, Limerick dairy farmer Louise Crowley said trespassing is happening “way too often”.

“If you went back to before the COVID times, it was maybe once or twice in the year these things would happen, but because of COVID guards weren't able to come out - there was restrictions in place and things like that,” she said.

“These groups of people got way too accustomed to being able to come onto our land and into our farms without having any real repercussions of them coming in.

“So, now we're dealing with it maybe once or twice a month.

“I had my neighbour ring me to say that they were these people were outside our ditch at seven o'clock this morning today and that's only a week on since the last incidence of these people coming onto the farm.”

A notice on the gate says if you enter beyond this point the lands are preserved and there is no dogs or shooting. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Ms Crowley said the people trespassing are “disingenuous”.

“Look, there's lots of locals around here that walk their dogs or they come in through the farm, but they'll always ring you to ask do they have the permission [or] is it suitable for them to come in,” she said.

“But these are the people that come in and when they're confronted and asked to leave, they try and convince you that they have permission from somebody.

“They're looking around sheds, they're looking at items that are on the farm or they're bringing dogs that might not even have a lead, they often only have a bit of rope or twine around their necks.

“They're worrying animals - these are not genuine people that are out, you know, for a hike around the countryside.”

File photo of old farm buildings on the Thornton Hall site, 29-07-2008. Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Ms Crowley said it is the same people coming onto the farms all the time.

“I would take a photo or a video of these people that come in for my own record, and unfortunately, I do recognise them now,” she said.

“They are repeat offenders coming in here, which is so disheartening because every time there's an incident on our farm, it is reported, but it's not a deterrent for them.

“I'm a female farmer, so I'm always going to be on the underhand when people come in, even if it was a single man, you know, the odds are against me.

“More often than not it's four and five men that are coming in, often with six or seven dogs with them as well, so no matter what I do, I can easily be overpowered and intimidated.”

Irish tillage farming, © PA Wire/PA Images

These men are aggressive, Ms Crowley said, with even the Gardaí fearing for her safety.

“I am always very polite with them because I never want an altercation to begin - I politely ask them to leave, but I've been told they'll cut our water pipes, they'll cut our fences, they'll burn the farm down, they'll break my neck,” she said.

“The guards do what they can… they said they'd take them to the courts and go through the process, but the guards are between a rock and a hard place too, because they know these people are not fearful of what happens in the court.

“They're not getting penalised enough - they get a slap on the wrist and they'll be back out in three to four weeks doing the exact same thing because there's no deterrent to them.

“So I feel for the guards - they're always there when I report everything to them but they're now at the point where they're warning me not to confront these people because they're afraid for my safety.”

A farmer works in Timoleague, Co Cork, 25-5-24. Image: AG News / Alamy

Also on the show, IFA Munster Regional Chair and Chair of IFA Countryside Conor O’Leary said it’s a “real concern” that these trespassers are getting violent with farmers.

“The guards are doing what they can but I think we need a whole dedicated Garda group to deal with rural crime,” he said.

“They have it in Northern Ireland and in Scotland, England, Wales and so on, and we really need it here, we need some person, a dedicated group, to take control of this, because it is getting out of hand.

“We would ask farmers, actually, to withdraw from these people - do not engage, make the phone call to the guards, and that is about as much as a farmer can do.”

Mr O’Leary said items have disappeared from farms and it is becoming obvious that people have been staking out these properties.

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Farming – Livestock, © PA Archive/PA Images