Theftline recovers 11 farm vehicles

5 June 2000



Theftline recovers 11 farm vehicles

by FWi staff

THE FWi Theftline helped recover 11 vehicles valued at 47,000 last month, according to the National Plant and Equipment Register (TER).

One of the recoveries came after, TER officials were contacted by a prospective purchaser of a John Deere 6810 tractor in Northern Ireland.

On checking the manufacturers number, they found that a tractor bearing the serial number in question had been exported to France in April 2000.

Further inquiries revealed that the tractor being offered for sale in Northern Ireland had been stolen in March from Hertfordshire.

The police were alerted and the tractor was taken into safe custody pending its return to its owner, saving a 30,000 insurance payout by NFU Mutual.

TER believes that a gang involved in the theft has a contact in France who is removing serial numbers from authentic equipment and sending them to Ireland.

This gives equipment thieves in Ireland the make and model of a tractor that they then steal to order from England and match with the stolen plate.

As, in this case, it was a nearly new tractor that the gang was looking for, it is often machinery dealers who are targeted.

The gang with a low loader or similar vehicle will then steal the tractor and drive it, via one of the west coast ferry ports, to Ireland.

The thief then erases the manufacturers stamped identity numbers and restamp the tractor with a copied set of manufacturers stamps.