Two men who stole expensive tractor GPS kits and other technical farming equipment have been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.
Aidas Cesna, 28, and Gintaras Jankauskas, 30, both admitted to stealing equipment valued at £380,000 from agricultural vehicles.
The men raided a total of thirteen farms and estates across Essex between 28 September and 27 October 2021.
GPS kits - global positioning systems - are a critical part of modern farming and cost thousands of pounds to replace.
Farmers then face additional costs and time out of operation required to repair the damage caused by thieves.
Thefts can cause significant harm and disruption to farms, particularly in the autumn, when delays can prove extremely costly for farmers bringing in their harvest.
On 15 November, Jankauskas was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to three years and 10 months in prison.
The court also made a deprivation order for his car and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
Meanwhile, Cesna was jailed for three years in July at Chester Crown Court for the same offence.
He was also jailed for a further one year and six months for committing a burglary, two thefts and theft from a motor vehicle on farms and estates in Cheshire in February.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that officers were able to place both Cesna and Jankauskas at the scene of 14 thefts of technical equipment from combine harvesters, tractors and sprayers across Essex.
Equipment stolen included GPS equipment, navigation systems and satellite receivers, computer screens and control boxes.
PC Samantha Smith, of Essex Police's rural engagement team, said that theft of GPS equipment "hits our farmers hard".
Ashley Petchey, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added that such thefts caused a "huge financial loss to hard-working farmers".
“Equipment is not straightforward to replace and, often, machines are heavily damaged in the process, leaving farmers without the essential tools they need to do their job.
“In the face of the evidence collected by Cheshire Police and Essex Police, they pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.”
According to recent NFU Mutual figures, the national cost of claims for GPS thefts almost doubled in 2020, to £2.9 million.
