A funding package which was available to farmers in Fermanagh and Tyrone to fit security devices to their tractors and machinery, is now to be extended across Northern Ireland.

The Justice Minister, David Ford announcing the package, said farmers across Northern Ireland would be able to access a discount when purchasing a TRACKER device to be fitted to a tractor. In the event that the tractor is stolen, the signals emitted by the device can be used to trace and recover it.

This initiative is delivered by the Rural Crime Partnership, which consists of representatives from the Department of Justice, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and NFU Mutual, and has been developed using findings from the PSNI’s Rural Crime Unit.

Announcing details of the initiative, David Ford said “I am pleased that the Rural Crime Partnership is now able to offer a subsidy to farmers across Northern Ireland. The pilot initiative run in E and F districts, protected over £1.7million worth of farm machinery. This shows how the tangible results of partnership working can benefit our rural communities.

“I recognise that there are ongoing concerns about levels of agri-crime amongst the farming community, and these concerns are wider than just the theft of farm machinery. They range from livestock theft to food fraud, which can have an adverse impact on the agri–food sector.

“While I welcome the partnership working that is being undertaken to address this type of crime, I would encourage farming communities to play their part in protecting their businesses by reporting their suspicions or concerns about fraudulent activity. This can be done by contacting the PSNI on 101 or the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111, or in the case of fraud, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Fraud Hotline on 080 8100 2716.” The Chief Constable, George Hamilton appealed to the public for information to help sold rural crime.

He said: “You know your own area best and if you notice something which does not look right, are aware of machinery moving at odd times or notice unusual attention being paid to livestock in fields, phone police.

Farmers can register their interest and reserve the subsidised rate by calling NFU Mutual on 028 9081 8688. The line will be open 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday. until September 30 2014 (subject to demand).