John Deere is accused in a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with two states of illegally restricting farmers’ ability to repair tractors and other equipment. Seth Pearlman/AP Hide Caption
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Seth Perlman/AP
Tractor maker John Deere faces a federal lawsuit accusing it of inflating profits by billions of dollars by illegally forcing farmers to use only authorized dealers for critical repairs. I am doing it.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission along with the states of Illinois and Minnesota, intensifies a long-running battle over farmers’ right to repair their farm equipment and parts.
As tractors and combines become increasingly computerized, Deere restricts access to software that makes it difficult for owners to diagnose and resolve problems on their own or with the help of an independent mechanic. Farmers are complaining that it has become almost impossible. Instead, farmers must use authorized dealers, which tend to have higher fees and can be time-consuming.
The lawsuit accuses Deere of withholding access to its technology and best repair tools and maintaining monopoly power over many repairs. The complaint alleges that Deere also makes additional profits from parts sales because authorized dealers tend to sell expensive Deere-branded parts for repairs rather than generic substitutes. Masu.
“Unreasonable repair restrictions can cause farmers to face tight planting seasons and unnecessary delays in harvesting,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. “In rural areas, these regulations can force farmers to drive for hours just to repair their machinery. For people who have long repaired their own machinery, these artificial limitations are especially It can seem inefficient and independent tractors are left unnecessarily neglected as farmers and mechanics are inhibited from using their skills and talents.”
It’s unclear how the case will proceed if Donald Trump is sworn in as president on Monday and Republicans take control of the FTC. The agency’s two Republican committee members had voted against Deere’s lawsuit. One of them, Andrew Ferguson, was nominated by President Trump to be the new FTC chairman.
In their dissent, Commissioners Ferguson and Melissa Holyoke said they welcomed the FTC’s “taking up farmers’ cause,” but that they had made procedural arguments against the lawsuit. They said the timing of the incident, just before President Trump’s inauguration, gave the incident “the stench of partisan motivation.”
They also say the FTC has not collected enough evidence in the lawsuit to have “true confidence about the likelihood of ultimate success” and that the FTC continues to aggressively negotiate a settlement with Deere. He also said that
Representatives for Deere & Company did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment Wednesday. The company announced earlier this week that a pilot program would expand options for farmers to repair their own equipment.
The FTC previously filed similar right-to-repair lawsuits against motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson and grill maker Weber.
