Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2003 on levels of theft of agricultural equipment.

Rural crime can have a devastating impact on communities and the agricultural sector, particularly when machinery and equipment are stolen.

We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on organised rural crime, equipment theft, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.

The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 received Royal Assent in July 2023, but its substantive provisions require secondary legislation before they can take effect. The Government’s response to the Call for Evidence, published on 10 March 2026, sets out the proposed scope of that legislation. It will require all new All-Terrain Vehicles to be forensically marked, and their details recorded on a property database.

The Department has not made an assessment of trends in organised crime groups affecting rural communities, or of the impact of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 on levels of agricultural equipment theft, since the Act's provisions are not yet in force. However, the National Farmers’ Union Mutual Crime Report reported reductions in the cost of rural crime by 6% in 2025.

We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries.

The Home Office has also worked closely with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in delivering their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025–28. This strategy provides a framework through which policing and its partners can work together to tackle the crimes that predominantly affect rural communities, including organised criminality affecting farms and agricultural businesses.