REGULATIONS designed to make it harder to steal farming equipment has been welcomed by an MP.

The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill would see regulations put in place requiring a unique visible identification mark for mechanically propelled vehicles as well as a requirement to record specified information in connection with a sale.

It is hoped that these regulations would make it easier to trace equipment or vehicles in the event that they are stolen.

As reported, in recent months a number of high-value thefts have taken place across west Dorset.

A generator worth more than £16,000 was stolen from a building site in Abbotsbury last month; in January a number of tools were stolen from a van in Bridport; and in December it was reported that power tools were stolen from a property in Beaminster during an overnight burglary. 

Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, told the House of Commons he believed the regulations were ‘an important step’ in tackling rural crime.

He said: “I believe that the Bill will benefit farms across West Dorset and further afield, because it looks to mitigate the risks that come to pass when equipment is stolen. Those who have businesses in rural settings, particularly but not exclusively farmers, have had to deal with an appalling level of crime, and particularly theft, for far too long. I am pleased that the Bill brings forward measures to not just mitigate the situation but deter those thefts.”

The most common type of rural crime in Dorset is the theft of machinery, tools, and vehicles, according to Mr Loder. He said there had been 253 reported incidents of rural crime in Dorset during the past year with expensive piece of farm equipment being stolen - often ‘hugely interrupting local businesses’.

The Countryside Alliance has said they ‘fully support’ the proposals and have assisted in developing it alongside other stakeholders in farming, insurance, equipment manufacturing, and the police.

NFU Mutual, rural insurance specialists, says the theft of GPS systems, tractors, and trailers cost them £9.1million in 2021.

Last year it was announced that Dorset Police would increase their rural team from three officers to 10 with a specialised rural police van.