Cheffins, which claims to host the world’s biggest monthly tractor, machinery and plant sale, has announced new, close cooperation with The Equipment Register (TER) in efforts to safeguard against fraud and theft.

The two companies are to host an open event to mark the collaboration at Cereals (the UK tillage event) on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

TER is now present at Cheffins auctions, analysing all lots against its database, to reduce the chance of a sale involving stolen machinery.

TER’s database is the biggest in the UK for plant and equipment theft, with an average claimed success rate of one in 11 searches resulting in a match.

“We are delighted to be working alongside Cheffins and hope that our collaboration will encourage due diligence in the industry,” TER Manager, John Deverell CBE, said on the matter.

Paul Claydon, Director of Cheffins Machinery Sales, also commented on the subject, saying: “We have always run extensive security checks on any items which we sell through our auctions at Cheffins and only offer machinery from reputable vendors.

However, by teaming up with TER, we can offer our purchasers another level of confidence that anything they buy through us is security-cleared and has been checked both through the HPI [vehicle history checking company] and the police database of stolen equipment.

Cheffins’ second-hand machinery sales continue to prosper with sales up on average by 40% month-on-month compared to 2016, according to the company.

As stated on its website, TER assists law enforcement agencies with the identification and recovery of stolen plant and equipment. The company objective is to reduce equipment theft by keeping accurate records of machine ownership.

Of Irish significance, TER is able to track stolen machinery from the UK to Ireland, mainland Europe and other countries further afield, ensuring that the stolen equipment is not sold on.  

Machinery has been recovered by TER previously in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.