Two more major agricultural equipment manufacturers have signed memoranda of understanding regarding farmers’ right to repair their own equipment.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says AGCO and Kubota have each signed MOUs that were negotiated independently but are similar to agreements previously reached with John Deere and CNH Industrial.
Altogether, the four agreements are estimated to cover around 70 per cent of agricultural machinery in the U.S.
“Farmers and ranchers urged us to find a private sector-solution to the challenges of repairing their own equipment. These agreements represent ongoing efforts to ensure farmers have access to the tools necessary to keep their equipment running, and to keep food on the table for families across America,” noted AFBF president Zippy Duvall.
As part of the agreements, AGCO — which includes Fendt, Massey, Challenger, and Gleaner brands — and Kubota promise to provide farmers and independent mechanics in the U.S. with “fair and reasonable” access to their electronic diagnostic tools.
“The MOUs respect the intellectual property rights of the manufacturers while setting a framework for farmers and independent repair facilities in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico to access AGCO and Kubota manuals, tools, product guides and information to self-diagnose and self-repair machines, as well as support from the manufacturers to directly purchase or lease diagnostic tools and order products and parts,” says AFBF.
As in the earlier deals, the Farm Bureau has also agreed to refrain from calling for federal or state right-to-repair legislation that goes beyond the commitments in the MOUs.
The MOUs are intended to benefit American farmers, but Canadian producers potentially stand to benefit from tools being available due to their proximity and the integrated nature of the North American machinery market.
Read the text of the MOUs, including details about brand-specific repair technologies, here:
Related:
Case IH and New Holland sign right-to-repair agreement with American Farm Bureau
John Deere signs right-to-repair agreement with American Farm Bureau
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