Farm trespass by illegal hunting gangs is now an “endemic problem” in parts of the country, with Gardaí unsure of how to deal with the problem, farmer representative body ICMSA has said.
peaking after a meeting with the Department of Justice, An Garda Siochana, and the National Parks and Wildlife, the Deputy President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, said he has heard from several farmers -who had been in this situation – and who said that they had the impression that the Guards arriving to the scene of a trespass or standoff did not themselves seem to know what to do beyond asking these gangs to move on.
"This is really the nub of the problem: is there any sanction or consequence for the trespassers beyond that? Because if there isn’t, the farmer is usually in a worse position for having contacted the Guards then if he or she had done nothing and just continued to allow himself or herself to be threatened and bullied by these gangs”, said Mr. Drennan.
Drennan said the Gardaí need to have a meaningful response procedure and “the trespass and threats must have consequences for these gangs or there’s really no point in the coming out”.
He also said there were practical steps towards getting a better and more rapid response system and he specified extending the Eircode system to land holdings and the publication of Divisional or District Crime Prevention Officers who could be reached by farmers on a 24/7 basis via mobile.
The major area identified by ICMSA, however, was the compilation of relevant specific data that went past general complaint statistics.
“We need a much more comprehensive record of this problem above and beyond other instances of rural reporting.
"How many complaints did the Guards receive about this kind of trespass-hunting and whereabouts? What was the response – if any? Was there a report by the Guards concerned and if there was, was there any follow-up? Are the same individuals or groups of individuals being noted at these incidents and is there a recurring pattern of abuse and intimidation on their part?
"The state agencies and An Garda Siochana are going to have to get serious about this and we are going to need a much more detailed and coherent account of what ICMSA believes to be a really insidious and nationwide problem”, said Drennan.
Speaking recently on condition of anonymity “Jimmy” a dairy farmer from Tipperary told the Farming Independent that: “Gangs are continuously coming out to me hunting rabbits and hares, every bit of wildlife has been wiped out.
“We had two sets of fox cubs here, one-by-one they killed them and threw them into the troughs for the calves.
“It happens at night, at least once a week, they shine lights in the windows of my house to intimidate me. It’s going on 10 years, it’s getting worse and worse.
“When I complain to the guards it’s not treated as a crime as such, I don’t get to give an victim impact statement.”
