NFU President Peter Kendall has thrown his called for tougher regulation of unregistered scrap metal dealers. Kendall made the calls at a seminar on rural crime being held in Kettering yesterday; he said increased regulation is necessary to tackle the "scourge" of metal theft, which has caused disruption to farms and other rural businesses. 

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Kendall explained, "It is not just the metal which is stolen from farms which is the problem, although that can be bad enough, if it’s a metal gate which is taken and livestock get out onto a main road. The biggest problem is the knock-on effects when copper cabling has been targeted, and entire areas lose their broadband access. For farms and other rural businesses, which are increasingly dependent on the internet to run their business, the disruption can be huge."

A bill is under consideration in the House of Lords which, if passed, would strengthen the registration of scrap metal dealers and make it illegal for them to pay cash, which the Lords suggest would make it easier for police to trace stolen metal. Kendall yesterday said the NFU would back the proposal.

Yesterday police, farmers and other stakeholders gathered at the summit in Kettering to discuss rural crime issues and moves towards a unified approach to solving them.