Berwickshire farm contractor reveals impact of thefts on tractor business after being targeted twice in six weeks
It comes as new stats show thefts of GPS units are driving increase in insurance claims
Last updated 31st Jul 2024
They play a crucial role in the day-to-day running of farms up and down the country.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) use satellite guidance to guide tractors and combines when it comes to planting crops and spraying through to harvesting.
But thefts of the digital devices are driving a sharp rise in the cost of rural crime to communities across Scotland - estimated to be up by a third last year to £1.8 million.
The cost to the north-east is also up - from £8 million to £8.6 million.
Around £17,000 worth of the time-saving units were stolen in one raid alone, at a Berwickshire agricultural business.
Thieves peeled wall sheeting from a storage building to gain access overnight, from a field behind the buildings to avoid the yard’s security lights.
Staff only realised they had been robbed when they started the tractors the next morning and found there was no signal on the cab displays.
“It’s very disturbing to have had people in our locked buildings stealing equipment on at least two occasions,” said Kenny Wood of farm contractors, R. Wood and Sons - based near Coldstream.
“In our business we need to be able to carry out work for our farming clients when they need it doing with a high standard of accuracy, so our business was disrupted.
"We use the GPS every day and being without two kits put our work schedules back as there was a two month wait to get replacements."
Thieves had targeted the business six weeks earlier, taking the roof domes and cab displays from six tractors.
The domes were recovered within hours after this first raid by Northumbria Police, who carried out a random stop on a car travelling through their patch and found the stolen GPS kit in the vehicle.
Kenny said: “Criminals are obviously watching farms and contractors to establish what equipment they’ve got and how to get in and steal it. I’ve heard of farms being watched with drones.
“We’re now taking GPS kit off our tractors and harvesters every night and storing them securely.
"This is far from an ideal way of working though: you have to climb onto the bonnet of the tractor to get the dome off the cab roof, which is a safety risk. We’re also finding that constantly connecting and disconnecting the systems is damaging the wiring."
But he added: “Thieves see GPS as easy pickings - there have been numerous thefts in the area and a neighbour’s farm was also hit the same night we were raided.”
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A report published today (Thursday) by NFU Mutual reveals that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £52.8m in 2023, up from £50.6m the previous year.
The insurance firm said that quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATV), which are essential to farmers' ability to get around their fields and effectively complete work, were also top targets.
Thefts of these vehicles were up 9% to an estimated £3.2m in claim costs reported to the insurer last year.
It added that farm animals worth an estimated £2.4m were severely injured or killed in dog attacks in 2023, were up nearly 30% compared to the previous year.
Rural affairs specialist Hannah Binns said: "While the overall cost of agricultural vehicle theft fell, thanks to co-ordinated efforts, it is concerning to see the value of GPS and ATV thefts continue to rise, with thieves turning to technology to scope out locations.
"Intelligence highlights these criminals often target several farms in one night before moving locations, then return weeks later looking to steal any replacements."
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Police in the Borders are urging farmers to do all they can to keep their property secure.
PC Luke Francois said: "The last few weeks we've seen a slight uptake in activity around farmland.
"Make sure your buildings are locked; make sure you've got cameras; access one way in and out of a farm is really quite important; and just being aware that folk are out on the rake, so if you can put trackers on your vehicles and make everything more secure."
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