The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2014 - Issue 31

SECURITY NFU Mutual helps fight rural crime with Farm Watch schemes in South Yorkshire The UK’s leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is fighting back against rural crime in South Yorkshire with a number of local initiatives to deter thieves and help recover stolen vehicles. Farm Watch schemes, which aim to help farmers and rural businesses protect their property have been established across Yorkshire in conjunction with the local police and NFU Mutual. One such scheme, established in north Sheffield, allows police to share information with farmers about recent crimes and suspicious activity. Richard Houldsworth, Senior Agent at NFU Mutual in Sheffield, said: “I am hopeful that the Farm Watch scheme will go a long way to help reduce crime. Community funded Farm Watch signs have been erected around the region to help deter would-be thieves and Smart Water kits have been distributed to many of the 100 or so farmers who have signed up to the scheme.” Other initiatives include the CESAR Datatag official security and registration scheme; The launch of the initiative follows 58 Dec/Jan 2014 FarmersMart NFU Mutual’s introduction of insurance premium discounts of up to 27.5% for members who fit approved security measures including CESAR registration marking to tractors and other machinery. Premium discounts are also available to farmers with NFU Mutual tractor policies who fit immobiliser and tracking security systems to their tractors. With tracking detection equipment fitted, the chances of recovering a stolen vehicle are greatly improved. ‘insurance premium discounts of up to 27.5%’ Richard continued: “The scheme helps farmers protect their property and makes it easier to identify stolen vehicles and return them to their owners. Several CESAR certified local agricultural engineers now offer the tagging service for an additional charge. This is just one of the measures that NFU Mutual prides itself on; working with country people to improve security and beat crime.” As a further deterrent to potential thieves, NFU Mutual can now also offer members the opportunity to have their tractor and agricultural vehicle windows etched for free. This particular initiative is undertaken in partnership with Autoglass whose specialist technicians visit the farmer’s premises to carry out the etching which only takes a few minutes per vehicle. All the farmer needs to do is show the technician his or her NFU Mutual insurance Certificate, Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5c) or proof of ownership (if not road registered). Anyone wanting to find out more about any of these initiatives should contact the NFU Mutual office in Sheffield on 0114 245 3906. New figures from NFU Mutual, which insures over 70% of UK farmers, show that the value of tractor claims in the North East of England was over £1m in 2012 – making it the second worst affected region of the UK. Suspicious activity in the area should be reported directly to the police by phoning 999 for crimes in progress, or 101 for less urgent calls. To read more, visit www.farmers-mart.co.uk

The Farmers Mart Dec/Jan 2014 - Issue 31 | Page 58