It seems that the Christmas tree industry in Ireland is a pretty big one. According to the numbers, the value to Ireland’s economy has been estimated to be at around 21 million Euro per year, which is why it isn’t surprising that in the past few years, there has been quite a fair amount of tree stealing.
In fact according to reports, the number of trees stolen a year has been estimated to be around 2,000 which apparently costs tree growers around 100,000 Euro in lost revenue, so much so that it seems that the Irish Christmas tree growers have resorted to more hi-tech methods to protect their product.
For example one farmer by the name of Christy Kavanagh has installed security cameras, higher fences, and has even relied on solar-powered motion detectors so that there will be an alert should it detect some movement amongst the firs. Other farmers have resorted to similar means and additional methods like trip wires to help trigger alarms.
According to Kavanagh, one tree apparently takes up to 14 years to grow before they are ready for harvest, meaning that every tree stolen can be quite heart wrenching. “If someone steals something you’re producing for 14 years after all the effort and expense, it’s not very pleasant.” Police have also lent a helping hand by stepping up patrols, checkpoints, and deploying police helicopters with infrared technology.
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