The manufacturer of John Deere has agreed to allow American farmers to repair their own machines …
Previously, farmers could only repair their machines with manufacturer-certified parts and only at branded service centers, they had no right to use cheaper alternatives – he writes BBC.
For years, consumer groups have called on manufacturers to enable customers to repair appliances — not just tractors, but also, say, smartphones.
The American Bureau of Farm Federation (AFBF) and Deere & Co signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday.
This solves a long-standing problem for farmers and ranchers, the AFBF director said, giving them access to tools, information and resources while protecting John Deere’s intellectual property and keeping equipment safe. Zippy Duvall.
As part of the settlement, machine owners and repairmen cannot disclose trade secrets, and “bypassing safety devices or emissions controls or altering the performance level of farm equipment” is also prohibited.
He said the machine manufacturer intends to continue working with AFBF and its customers in the future to ensure farmers continue to have access to the tools and resources to diagnose, maintain and repair their equipment. Dave Gilmore Senior Vice President, Deere & Co.
Farmers are part of the grassroots Right to Repair movement that is lobbying manufacturers to allow owners and independent repair shops to fix their machines.
UK and EU policy requires manufacturers to supply parts for certain electronic devices to customers and independent repair companies.
“Consumers have long complained that not only do products break down faster than before, but that repairs are often prohibitively expensive and, due to a lack of spare parts, difficult, sometimes impossible,” reads the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) report. ) in its announcement.
Some US states, such as New York and Massachusetts, have adopted similar measures. Biden In 2021, the president signed an executive order calling on the Federal Trade Commission to develop a national policy that would allow consumers to fix their own products, particularly in the technology and agricultural sectors.
