Farmers and landowners have been urged to take better precautions to protect their agricultural machinery and equipment.

Research reveals that agricultural equipment is surprisingly vulnerable to theft and a specialist insurance comparison website, CompareNI.com is urging farm workers to take every available precaution.

Locked garages, which are considered the safest place to keep agricultural vehicles, are the most popular storage option, yet under half of all policyholders use them, at 48%.

Research based on a sample of nearly 2,000 policies in Northern Ireland, shows that 22.6% of farmers either don’t lock their garages, keeping working vehicles in unlocked garages overnight or leave vehicles out on driveways.

The farm vehicle data, which was compiled across Northern Ireland from 2019 to 2020, shows the average value of a tractor in Northern Ireland is £11,996 – over £2,000 less that the rest of the UK. Tractors were the most popular type of farm vehicle, making up 70% of all vehicles, followed by a range of smaller groups such as 4x4, digger, harvester, JCB and quad.

Agricultural crime rates have continued to fall by 14% in the last 12 months from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020, however rural crime costs in Northern Ireland have been increasing by 18%, reaching £3.3 million in 2019 – as thieves target high value farm vehicles, equipment and livestock, with 328 agricultural crimes recorded.

The highest levels of agricultural crime incidents (Jan-Dec 2020), across each local region are;

 Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon – 53

 Newry, Down and Mourne – 49

 Fermanagh and Omagh - 46

 Causeway Coast and Glens – 42

 Mid Ulster – 37

 Derry and Strabane – 24

 Antrim and Newtownabbey – 24

 Mid & East Antrim – 21

CompareNI.com suggests the following measures could help to increase security, and in turn might also lower some premiums:

 Restricting access to yards, installing sturdy gates fixed in concrete or a metal post

 Painting equipment in distinctive / corporate colours

 Consider investing in security devices such as Datatag marking or vehicle trackers

 Registering and taking photographs of expensive items and equipment, noting serial numbers

 Checking fences, hedges and walls regularly for breaches

 Adding alarms, CCTV and security lights, and keeping gates locked and vehicle keys with you

 Joining farm and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.