• John Deere has consented to grant its US customers the freedom to repair their own property.
• One of the biggest manufacturers of agricultural machinery worldwide is Deere and Co.
• Farmers are a part of a grassroots right-to-repair campaign.

John Deere, a manufacturer of tractors, has consented to grant its US customers the freedom to repair their own property.

Before, farmers were prohibited from using less expensive independent repair choices in favour of authorised parts and service providers.

One of the biggest manufacturers of agricultural machinery worldwide is Deere and Co.

Consumer advocacy groups have been urging businesses to provide their customers the ability to repair anything from tractors to iPhones for years.

On Sunday, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Deere & Co. and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

The AFBF President, Zippy Duvall, noted that the agreement “addresses a long-standing issue for farmers and ranchers when it comes to accessing tools, information, and resources, while respecting John Deere’s intellectual property rights and assuring equipment safety.”

The agreement prohibits the “divulgation of trade secrets” and the “overriding of safety features or emissions controls or to change Agricultural Equipment power levels.”

According to Dave Gilmore, a senior vice president of Deere & Co., the company is looking forward to working with the AFBF and “our customers in the months and years ahead to ensure farmers continue to have the tools and resources to diagnose, maintain, and repair their equipment.”

Apple introduced a “self-service repair” programme in 2022 that allowed customers to change the batteries, displays, and cameras on modern iPhones on their own.

Farmers are a part of a grassroots right-to-repair campaign pressuring manufacturers to let customers and independent repair shops fix their products.

Manufacturers of some electronics are required by UK and EU regulations to make replacement parts available to customers and independent businesses.

According to the European Parliamentary Research Service, consumers have long complained that items not only tend to break down more quickly than they used to, but that fixing them is sometimes excessively expensive, difficult to arrange due to a lack of spare parts, and occasionally impossible.

Similar laws have been approved in a few US states, including Massachusetts and New York. In 2021, President Biden issued an executive order requesting that the Federal Trade Commission create a national policy permitting consumers to repair their own products, particularly in the technology and agricultural sectors.

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