The start of 2022 saw rural crime incidents skyrocket according to rural insurer, , with the cost of rural theft estimated at 拢40.5m across the UK. This comes at a time when farmers are already feeling the pressure from soaring inflation costs, energy price hikes and increased input costs, and as a result has left many feeling vulnerable.
Eveey saw her farm fall victim to the rural crimewave when thieves stole GPS components totalling 拢60,000 the day before the family were due to finish harvest.
鈥淚t鈥檚 scary. My brother said he felt like they were being watched that night. The next morning he climbed up into the combine and said over the radio 鈥榃e won鈥檛 be doing any farming today鈥�. We didn鈥檛 know what he meant at first and then we saw the screens were gone.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just trying to produce food, and this is how you get repaid.鈥�
NFU Next Generation Forum Chair, Eveey Hunter
A slap in the face
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the hard thing to get across sometimes - when people hear 鈥楪PS theft鈥� they don鈥檛 realise it鈥檚 so much more than that,鈥� Eveey explains. 鈥淚n our case, they cut the whole screen off the armrest so you couldn鈥檛 physically move the tractor 鈥� it鈥檚 like removing the brain from the tractor effectively.鈥�
Without GPS, harvests can be delayed, and some farmers are left unable to work.
Eveey鈥檚 family managed to have two of the tractors up and running within three days, but were left waiting weeks for the repair of the third one. This set them back by two weeks, with the 8-10 week period during harvest season a notoriously crucial window where farmers can鈥檛 afford such setbacks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just such a slap in the face,鈥� Eveey reflects. 鈥淭he team are effectively running on coffee the whole harvest. You鈥檙e out working late, then come back early in the morning to discover this and just think why do we bother?
鈥淵ou鈥檙e just trying to produce food, and this is how you get repaid.鈥�
Peace of mind
Eveey says her farm is now protected by 360-degree video and motion detector cameras, as well as security gates that can only be opened by those with pre-authorised access, in addition to CCTV and padlocks in use at her home.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cost us about 拢4000 for the season, but we had those security systems for peace of mind. Farmers are going to struggle to put their hands into their pockets for that money over something that might stop thieves, but also might not.
鈥淭here just isn鈥檛 spare money.鈥�
What is the NFU doing?
We鈥檝e been working with Greg Smith MP and a number of other organisations on the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill which has just passed its second reading in parliament.聽
This would give the Secretary of State powers to enact new regulations including the use of immobilisers, forensic markings and a registration database to support the police when reuniting stolen vehicles with their owners.
While the provisions outlined in the Bill refer specifically to ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles), the NFU is campaigning to see the scope of the Bill widened to cover other agricultural equipment too.
皇家华人is also looking at opportunities to meet with the police and all the manufacturers of GPS units to raise these issues.
What can farmers do to protect their farms?
NFU Mutual has put together as part of their crime report. They鈥檝e also created a showcasing a variety of deterrent methods so that you can tailor your security to your farm.
Police forces are advising farmers to use overt marking on their equipment and remove units overnight where practicable.
Eveey is also urging other farmers to report their experiences as much as possible when they鈥檝e been involved in a rural crime incident.
鈥淧olicing works on statistics. If you don鈥檛 report anything and don鈥檛 talk about it they can鈥檛 put more resource behind it,鈥� she says.
鈥淵ou have to have a good relationship with your local police. We can help them as much as they can help us.鈥�
A voice for all farmers
Referring to following the theft of farm machinery including GPS equipment, Eveey expresses hope that the more she continues to speak out the more can be done to identify thieves.
鈥淚t will be a small world within these criminal groups, and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 determined to keep pushing it and talking about it as much as possible as they will get caught eventually.
鈥淚鈥檓 known to shout quite loudly about things I鈥檓 passionate about. A lot of farmers have to deal with theft but don鈥檛 feel comfortable being interviewed or going on the news 鈥� but I will do that to get the message across and be a voice not just for the next generation, but for all farmers.鈥�
