Criminals are targeting farms and stealing older tractors worth in excess of £30,000. This latest crime was highlighted at the Rural Crime Conference 2013, which took place in Lancashire on the 11^th March.  Older tractors have less security features than on newer models, TRACKER, the UK’s leading plant and agricultural tracking provider is warning farmers to take security steps to protect them.

Stuart Chapman, police liaison officer for TRACKER and speaker at the Rural Crime Conference says, “The appeal of older tractors is that they are easier to work on and spare parts can be obtained in developing areas of world, where they are commonly exported. Farmers need to take the right security measures to protect their vital farming vehicles, whatever their age. This is especially important as the older tractors will not have the same in-built security of newer models, plus they are unlikely to have CESAR markings – which is a big deterrent.

“For peace of mind, I would recommend any tractor, plant or farm machinery owner to invest in a tracking unit just in case it is stolen; it can save thousands of pounds in the long term.”

The National Plant & Equipment Register (TER) reports* that 95 per cent of plant equipment stolen every year is not recovered. However, TRACKER figures show that a staggering 68 per cent of all plant it recovers is done so within 24 hours of the SVR device being activated. Ten percent of those are recovered within just one hour.

TRACKER is celebrating 20 years of the successful vehicle recovery, and it’s this expertise which makes TRACKER the leader in stolen plant recovery. Designed specifically for the plant sector, TRACKER Plant offers an unrivalled level of protection against theft, as well as significantly increasing the chances of recovery. The system is Thatcham approved, offering added quality assurance. TRACKER also offers battery-powered TRACKER Retrieve, ideal for plant assets without access to a power source.