Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the theft of farm (a) equipment and (b) machinery.

This Government is committed to driving down rural crime. We are working closely with the police, industry and others to ensure we are collectively doing everything we can to drive down acquisitive crime, including the theft of agricultural machinery and vehicles.

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes.

The Home Office committed to provide one-off funding of £200,000 to the National Rural Crime Unit this year to assist with set up costs of the new unit. The NRCU will provide support to forces nationally in their responses to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction machinery, livestock theft, rural fly tipping, rural fuel theft and equine crime.