A new bill giving the Home Secretary more power to make regulations that deter the theft and resale of agricultural machinery has passed its second reading in the Commons.
The NFU has been working together with Greg Smith MP and a number of other organisations to produce the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill.
The bill seeks to unlock new powers for the Secretary of State to tackle the resale and theft of farm equipment.
If it completes its journey through the Commons and Lords and becomes law, the Home Secretary will have the power to make regulations that deter the theft and resale of quads and ATVs.
This year has seen a huge uptick in rural crime incidents, with NFU Mutual's 2022 Crime Report indicating that the cost of rural crime has risen by more than 40% in the first quarter, with quad and ATV theft totalling £2.2m in the previous year.
Shipping delays and the effects of Covid and Brexit are also contributing to a rise in demand for both new and second-hand farm machinery.
As waiting lists grow and market values soar, thieves are seeing quads and ATVs as expensive, easily portable, hot ticket items with a ready resale market in this country and abroad.
Key provisions in the Bill include electronic devices that will only allow the engine to run if the correct key or key fob is present, which will protect the vehicle from 'hot-wiring' as well as deterring thieves.
And markers remaining hidden on vehicles but can be identified under UV light or in some cases contain a unique code that can be read by scanners will give the police powerful evidence to link stolen vehicles to their owners.
The NFU said it had been working closely with the Home Office on the new Bill, as well as facilitating meetings between insurers, police leaders, security companies and manufacturers to identify solutions.
The union said this would give further support to the police when they are trying to reunite stolen vehicles with their owners.
"The Bill has now passed its second reading in the House of Commons; this was the first time MPs had the opportunity to debate the detail behind the Bill," the NFU said.
"The committee stage follows next – this is the chance for any amendments or changes to the Bill to be debated."
The union added: "The NFU will continue to monitor the Bill as it progresses through parliament and hopes the that the government will support the passage of this Bill.
"However, we would like to see the scope of the Bill widened in secondary legislation to include other agricultural equipment, with the theft of GPS systems, tractors and trailers reportedly costing NFU Mutual £9.1m in 2021."
