Published 24th May 2023, 06:00 BST

Farmers, the police and insurer NFU Mutual are all reporting increases in the theft of tractor GPS systems, which provide precision positioning for cultivation and harvesting operations on farms across the world.

And with harvest season coming up, it is feared that the thefts will increase even more - leading to delays and disruption for local farmers.

Already thefts of GPS systems have double in the first four months of 2023 and involved more than £500,000 worth of kit, while April saw GPS thefts hit the second-highest monthly level ever reported to NFU Mutual.

North Yorkshire farmer, James Bainbridge at his family farm near Stokesley. His farm and tractors have been targeted for theft of vital GPS systems.

James Bainbridge is a third generation cattle and arable farmer based near Stokesley and has had two GPS units stolen which left him out of action for a fortnight until he could get a replacement – which cost him £6,000.

The thieves were caught on CCTV but he believes they had checked the farm out first and knew how and where to approach the parked tractor as they didn’t set off the security floodlights.

He said: “I have been a victim and lost two units. One was in front of the CCTV. They came in wearing gloves and hoodies in the middle of the night and helped themselves. It took them two minutes.

"I think they had come and cased it out first. They knew where they were going, did not trigger the floodlights and came around the back of the tractor.”

The GPS systems cost on average £6,000 but some can be worth a lot more. They are being targeted by organised crime gangs to sell abroad.

Security wise, Mr Bainbridge, who has 1,000 acres to farm, said he has CCTV, lights and gates that are locked at night so it is hard to do much more. The cost and inconvenience is a bigger problem.

It is around £3,000 for the receiver, £6,000 for the screen and £4,000 for the tracker unit. In some cases the replacement cost is between £15,000 and £25,000.

He added: “It cost us £6,000. Ripon Farm Services were really good to use and had a replacement within a fortnight but for two weeks we were out of action. How do you put a value on that?

"The GPS saves 20 per cent of work time but more importantly looks after the environment. It only puts product where needed rather than blanket treat a field, and the cost, I can buy less fertiliser and less diesel because the tractor is efficient.”

It is thought the GPS systems are being sold abroad as they are very niche in the UK and there is no market for them second hand.

DC Chris Piggott, from the National Construction and Agri Thefts Team (NCATT), which forms part of the National Rural Crime Unit, said: “Organised and determined criminal gangs are now targeting GPS equipment on farms across the length and breadth of the UK.

“We’re seeing reports of thefts from every part of the UK —not just the arable areas in the east of England— with recent clusters of thefts in North West and North East England and Scotland. It looks as though at least two criminal gangs are currently active.

“They are putting a lot of effort into identifying farm equipment fitted with GPS, watching those farms and even using drones to spot opportunities to return at night. They go to great lengths to get hold of kit, breaking through locked gates and buildings security systems to take GPS from machinery.

“Most of the stolen units are going abroad, but some are offered for sale online here. If something is offered cheap, there’s a reason.”

NFU Mutual is working closely with police, machinery manufacturers and farmers in a bid to make it more difficult for gangs to operate but are also urging farmers to review security and, while it is inconvenient, to take the GPS domes and screens out of tractors at the end of the day.

Insp Inspector Mark Earnshaw from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force appealed for the public to also be vigilant and report suspicious activity as often the farmer may not realise until a few days later that the unit has been stolen if tractors are not being used every day.

He added: “We have had 33 incidents in the last 18 months. Some of those are multiple offences and you might get more than one GPS stolen from a farm.

“We usually lose on average five to ten a year but noticed a definite jump after Christmas. It is a national problem, we have links with surrounding forces and it is a country-wide issue.”

Global crime trend hits North Yorkshire and is costing farmers thousands of pounds