Closure of rural garda stations leaving farmers fearful of being targeted for theft and coercion

Farmers were most concerned with theft of small machinery, violent coercion connected to fraudulent work, illegal dumping and trespassing, rather than thefts of expensive machinery and livestock. File picture

Farmers living in low-crime areas are still fearful of being targeted, with a new study highlighting their worries over falling victim to theft, coercion, illegal dumping and trespassing.

The study looked in-depth at the experiences of seven farmers living and working in one anonymised hinterland in Co. Cork, situated around 60km from Cork City and with a population of approximately 5,000 spread between a medium-sized town and hinterlands.