Over half of Ireland's farmers have been the victim of theft.
A new study, by criminologists at TU Dublin and the Irish Farmers' Association, has found 55% of farmers report having been burgled, however, 29% didn't report it to Gardaí.
Among the reasons given for not reporting were they didn't think it was serious enough; that Gardaí wouldn't do anything about it; or that there was insufficient evidence to warrant police action.
Although farmers report being fearful of being burgled, only one-third have an alarm on their property.
60% of those who took part in the study believe there should be a dedicated unit within An Garda Síochána to deal with farm thefts and rural crime.
Criminologists at the School of Social Sciences, Law and Education at TU Dublin, and co-author of the report, Dr Nicola Hughes said victims of rural crime should be encouraged to report incidents.
"Many victims of crime do not report it.
"If the true extent of crime and victimisation against the farming community is to be understood, then all victims should be encouraged to report the incident to An Garda Síochána".
