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Jun 24, 2025

Tractor thieves active in Latvia / Article

This year, 14 cases of fraud related to the purchase and sale of tractors have also been reported. The period when agricultural work is most active is also the most active for thieves, so equipment

This year, 14 cases of fraud related to the purchase and sale of tractors have also been reported. The period when agricultural work is most active is also the most active for thieves, so equipment must be watched and not left accessible in the field, and it is best to insure it.

"This year, ten tractor thefts have been committed in Latvia – tractors, including lawn mowers and an excavator, have been stolen, and 18 cases of diesel fuel theft from tractors have been reported. For example, on 20 March, in the Augšdaugava municipality, Šēdere parish, a thief broke into a shed through a window and stole a T-25 tractor," said State Police representative Jūlija Jurāne.

The State Police managed to quickly find the tractor and return it to its owner, and a criminal case was also initiated in connection with this incident. However, not all thefts come to the attention of the police.

A resident of Šēdere parish in Augšdaugava municipality, whose farm was at risk of losing a powerful and expensive tractor, which is essential for agriculture, last August, said: "Our tractor was stolen during the night, along with all the hay bales. But this was not the only case of theft in our Šēdere parish. Others did not even bother to go to the police, they didn't want to, but in our case we couldn't. It wasn't some marker pen, but huge machinery that we live off, that works, that costs 40,000–50,000 euros. We don't have five or six tractors to throw around and give our tractor to the Lithuanians."

The Lithuanian border is tempting for agricultural equipment thieves; a few dozen kilometres away, stolen equipment or parts end up in the neighbouring country. This was also the case in Šēdere parish, where only the vigilance of neighbours and, one might even say, chance allowed the tractor to be recovered.

A resident of Šedere parish said: "That's how it is in the border area, and our tractor was driven in that direction. Of course, we have no way of knowing where the buyer was. It wasn't in our yard, but on our property, where the machinery is kept. The tractor wasn't left in the field, but a thief knows what to do, what to connect or what to pull. If there's fuel in it, you just get in and drive off. All you can do is sit in the tractor all the time."

Insurance could be a solution; this farm's large tractor was insured, but not everyone can afford it, as it requires funds and there is uncertainty.

Jānis Abāšins, president of the Latvian Insurers Association, acknowledged that insurers have not received a significant increase in claims from farmers recently, and that insurance trends point to a varied situation among farms.

"We don't feel that there is any particular tragedy, and we haven't heard that there is more theft than in other years. This new equipment is very often leased or purchased on credit, and there is an automatic requirement for it to be insured. But when it comes to older equipment, it depends on the farmer himself. However, farmers often continue to insure the equipment they have purchased with voluntary comprehensive insurance even after the loan term has expired, as it is still quite expensive and, in addition, there are often uninvited guests from neighbouring farms or locals who steal agricultural equipment," said Abāšins.

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