Tracker, the stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert, and the National Farmers Union (NFU) have renewed their long-standing partnership, confirming their commitment to supporting farmers and agricultural businesses in taking a stand against the rising risk of rural crime.   The relationship sees a wider range of innovative products now being offered to protect assets and those using them.

The latest NFU Mutual Annual ‘Rural Crime Report’ highlights that the UK bears the cost of £44.5 million every year, as a result of illegal activities. This is a substantial increase of 13.4% since 2016^[1]. The cost of agricultural vehicle theft alone rose by half a million pounds in 2017, demonstrating the need for NFU members to strengthen their armour against criminals.  Quad bikes are a particularly lucrative target for thieves; the recent cost of stolen quad bikes to the UK was £2.3 million.^[2]  The continued collaboration between Tracker and the NFU helps members to significantly reduce the physical and financial burden theft brings.

In addition to protecting farmers against the loss of a quad bike, NFU and Tracker are providing valuable accident and emergency support through its ‘bike down’ feature. Available on Tracker Vantage, this feature will immediately send an alert to a stored emergency contact should the  farmer find themselves trapped or injured under an overturned  quad bike meaning the safety of both the vehicle and the owner are protected at all times. 

Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker, explains, “Every year rural crime costs UK businesses tens of millions of pounds and causes unbearable anxiety. We have seen many cases of farm owners losing out on days, or even weeks, of work because equipment or quad bikes were stolen. Last year when a Hitachi digger worth £20,000 was stolen in County Antrim the small business owners thought it was going to be a great loss to the company. Fortunately, the equipment was fitted with a stolen vehicle recovery device, which led police right to the stolen digger within a few hours.

“Tracker is the only company which has invested in every UK police force, making it the ideal partner to tackle the size of the problem. We are delighted to be working with NFU to bring our award-winning technology to its members.  Not only are we helping them stay one step ahead of thieves, but also ensuring that any stolen vehicles or machinery are quickly returned, negating any commercial loss.”

Sam Durham, NFU Chief Land Management Advisor adds, “As the NFU stated in its Combatting Rural Crime report^[3], high value machinery often cannot be replaced swiftly and theft puts agricultural operations at risk, from feeding livestock to harvesting crops. Tracker provides an important part of a farm’s arsenal of security equipment, helping to deter criminals or ensure the swift recovery of stolen vehicles and machinery.”

NFU members already gain access to exclusive discounts on a range of SVR solutions from Tracker, as well as benefitting from a 12.5% discount on NFU Mutual Tractor policies, when selected Tracker products are fitted.

Tracker Vantage is a competitively priced tracking and security solution with integrated GPS technology. Delivering movement and geofence alerts to vehicle owners via the use of a unique app.

[1] https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/farming/ruralcrime/
[2] As above
[3] https://www.nfuonline.com/nfu-online/news/nfu-reports/nfu-report-combatting-rural-crime-july-2018/