Almost 30,000 farm related crime incidents have been reported to Gardai since 2010.

The most common occurrence is theft from farm yards - with stolen equipment often ending up for sale online.

Today, Crimestoppers have teamed up with The IFA, Gardai and DoneDeal to combat rural crime.

More and more farmers are using DoneDeal to buy and sell tractors and farm machinery.

Safety Liaison Officer with DoneDeal Finbarr Garland has this advice for people buying and selling online:

• Beware if the goods are cheaper than normal.
• Never transfer money without seeing the tractor or machinery first.
• Make sure to test drive and inspect tractors and machinery first for potential problems.
• Bring someone familiar with the machinery with you.

Anyone with information in relation to farm related crime, is being urged to contact their local Garda Station or Crimestoppers on 1800 25 00 25.

Kim Buckley has this report: