Tipperary farmers 'afraid' as trespassers and night-time intrusions spark call for law review

Farmers in north Tipperary are living in fear of repeated night-time trespass on their land, Deputy Ryan O'Meara has told the Dáil, as he called for a full review of trespass law and of the Tipperary-Clare Garda division.

Deputy O'Meara said he met around 30 farmers in Ballingarry at 10am on Monday, where they described repeated incidents of people entering their land without permission, often at night, with lurcher dogs, lamps and thermal scopes. The affected area includes Ballingarry, Carrig, Riverstown, Aglish and parts of Lower Ormond between Borrisokane, Birr and Portumna.

He told the Dáil one farmer had the same individuals return to his land every week for five weeks. In another case, a group's lurcher caught a hare, which was killed in front of the farmer, who was then threatened and had fencing damaged. Another farmer was recently threatened with a metal bar. Others reported cut electric fencing and livestock escaping onto roads, including one animal that was hit by a car.

"These are not simply disputes about access to land," Deputy O'Meara said. "They are matters of community safety, personal security and animal welfare."

He stressed that his comments were not a criticism of local gardaí but said farmers had raised concerns about response times, the distance from stations, difficulty contacting local stations and cross-district arrangements for responding to calls. Nenagh is the main station for the area, while Borrisokane and Roscrea are not open all hours.

Deputy O'Meara renewed his opposition to the merger of the Tipperary and Clare Garda divisions, describing it as "a huge mistake" and saying the two counties should have separate divisions. He called on Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to engage with the Garda Commissioner on rural policing in the area.

He also said he did not accept that current trespass laws were adequate and called for a full review and tougher penalties. He said farmers fear repercussions if they confront trespassers, and distinguished clearly between those who trespass and people who access land with permission for lawful and legitimate conservation activities.

Responding on behalf of the Government, Minister of State Alan Dillon, said everyone had the right to feel safe in their community. He pointed to the National Rural Safety Forum, co-chaired by the IFA and An Garda Síochána, and the Rural Safety Plan to 2027. The plan has four pillars (community safety and engagement, property crime, road safety and animal welfare crime) and 18 actions, including measures on trespass and home burglaries.

He also cited Operation Thor, the Garda anti-burglary initiative, saying recorded residential burglaries fell from 12,600 in the 2015 winter phase to fewer than 2,600 in the same period of 2026.

Minister Dillon initially said there were no plans to change the law on trespass, which he described as robust. In a later response, however, he said the legislative framework "needs to be looked at again" and that a targeted approach was needed. He said he had experienced a similar situation in south Mayo and that he would relay the concerns to Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan and ensure he responds.