Farmers with GPS equipment on machinery have been warned to be extra vigilant for thefts after new figures show £4.2m worth of them were stolen last year.
In a sign of the increasing organisation among criminals, GPS units were targeted by gangs in 2023, causing the value of claims to NFU Mutual to rocket by 137%.
The high-tech equipment, typically costing over £10,000 a unit, is used to guide tractors and combine harvesters to improve accuracy.
Without it, farmers and agricultural contractors can face severe delays and disruption to harvesting and cultivating work.
Thieves frequently target several farms in one night before moving locations to steal these highly valuable and portable kits, often revisiting farmyards weeks later to steal any replacements.
Now Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned farmers to be extra vigilant and to take measures to protect the equipment.
UFU legislation chair, David McCracken, said: “Rural thieves are being selective with the farms and agricultural dealerships they are targeting.
“The summer is busy in the farming calendar with harvest, silage and preparing land for winter fodder. The theft of GPS kits hinders operations as well as creating additional pressures for farming families.
"Intelligence shows offenders are willing to travel to steal GPS kits. They then seek buyers overseas ready to buy what equipment that has clearly been stolen.”
The union urged farmers to take appropriate measures to protect their business, such as reviewing and updating security.
Its advice to safeguard GPS devices is to remove the equipment when not in use and store it away from machinery.
“Farmers should also take photographs of the kit, record serial numbers and activate pin numbers to help recover the kit, should it be stolen," Mr McCracken explained.
"Farmers can also mark the GPS devices so that they are no longer attractive for resale by adding a postcode or farm name."
NFU Mutual and the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) have also warned farmers to remain vigilant for theft as farmers undergo harvest.
Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, said: “We’re urging farmers to take all possible steps to protect their GPS equipment, such as removing them from tractors where safe to do so and lock them somewhere securely when not in use.
“If it’s not practical to remove units from machines, try and park vehicles where they cannot be easily seen.
"Also consider forensically marking, painting or scratching your farm name or post code onto the GPS to make them less attractive to thieves and harder to sell on.”
One successful prosecution saw two 'calculated criminals' sentenced to prison after stealing over £200,000 worth of high-value tractor GPS kits.
Humberside Police said they had recovered a total of 48 GPS units and screens that the pair had stolen.
