Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality
Rural Crime: Irish Farmers Association
9:30 am
Mr. Eddie Downey:
My colleague, Mr. Connolly, might want to come in on this as well. We have a very good relationship with the Ulster Farmers Union. I recently spoke at a farm safety conference at which the union was represented. We are developing links with the union because there is commonality across the Border. When machinery is stolen from a farm, it is a unique thing. The number of customers for a piece of machinery might be quite limited. It is a question of finding out where these things are going, who is receiving them and who is moving them on from there. I think that is the key part of this. That is where the marking system that is part of the Theft Stop initiative comes in. A unique mark on each piece of equipment will make it more traceable. We are going to work with interested parties in the North. I have already had discussions with the president of the Ulster Farmers Union on the potential for the roll-out and use in the North of a similar system to our Theft Stop system. We are looking at how it could work on that basis.
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