Gangs Behind 200 Tractors Disappearing

British farms appear to be under threat as more than 200 high value tractors have increasingly disappeared from farms. The blame is resting on organised crime and gangs who are believed to be making themselves millions from selling the vehicles on abroad or for parts.

It seems that criminals are defying the law with fake documents to cash in on overseas markets, with Poland as the top destination. The tractors stolen from UK farms over December 2012 and January 2013 are worth around £25000, a 35% increase in tractor theft compared to the previous months.

Clive Harris, a vehicle security expert from the NFU Mutual Insurers said “The sudden increase in farm vehicle theft is extremely concerning as in the past we have recovered vehicles from Poland as the market is strong for stolen tractors. However at the moment, tractors are completely disappearing.” It is thought that lorries can get these stolen tractors out of the country in a matter of hours, and the sheer number of lorries at ports makes it impossible to security check every lorry for stolen tractors.

Insurers have said the way to tackle this growing problem is on-site security. John Deere is now manufacturing every new tractor in the UK and Ireland with the Construction and Agricultural Equipment Security and Registration Scheme (CESAR) datatag security system, as well as a unique immobiliser and key system.

For more information on keeping your equipment secure visit John Deere.co.uk.