Green light for legislation to cut GPS farm thefts

Ministers have given the go-ahead for legislative changes that will cut the theft of expensive and essential GPS devices from farm vehicles.

The news follows a high-profile campaign, launched by Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price last October.

Dan Price brought MPs from across Cheshire together with the National Farmers Union (NFU), the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) and local farmers, to highlight the issue of serious organised crime and its impact on the agricultural community.

They signed an open letter calling on agricultural equipment manufacturers to retrospectively add forensic marking on GPS devices, quad bikes, tractors and excavators to deter theft and aid with tracking stolen goods.

The letter also asked the Government to revise the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to include modern immobilisation and forensic marking on all of the above equipment to ensure it was fit for purpose.

At a National Rural Crime meeting this week, ministers confirmed plans to back this change to the existing legislation.

Farm equipment theft by organised crime has soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Data from NFU Mutual showed that in 2023 insurance claims for GPS theft rose by 137% to an estimated £4.2m and there is real concern that this technology can be reappropriated to be used in weapons.

Organised crime gangs frequently visit several farms in one night, often returning to the same farm to steal replaced devices. GPS allows farmers to create farm maps with precise acreage for field areas, road locations and distances between points of interest. It enables them to accurately navigate to specific locations in the field, year after year, to collect soil samples or monitor crop conditions.

The theft of GPS devices can cause financial hardship for farmers, not only due to the cost of the unit, but also the knock-on financial implications that being without the device can cause. Delays in being able to carry out essential work with crops or having to revert to older methods of carrying out the work, effects farmers’ ability to maximise small windows of favourable weather.

Dan Price, Police and Crime Commissioner said:

“These legislative changes will make a real difference to our rural communities in Cheshire, who have faced the increased personal and financial threat of being targeted by organised criminals.

“By bringing Cheshire MPs together with those on the frontline of this, we have been able to take decisive action to ensure the future safety and prosperity of farmers,”. 

Alongside local farmers, the NFU, NRCU and Dan Price, the MPs who signed the letter were:

Andrew Cooper MP, Connor Naismith MP, Sarah Russell MP, Tim Roca MP and Aphra Brandreth MP.

Pictured - (L-R) Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Dan Price, Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and The Rt Hon Lord David Hanson.