Schweitzer: Right to Repair proposed settlement ‘woefully inadequate’

The proposed settlement agreement reached between John Deere and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois regarding right-to-repair claims is woefully inadequate, Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said.

“Montana Farmers Union has long fought for farmers’ right to repair their own equipment. Neither this settlement, nor recent announcements about DEF sensors on equipment, do more than pay lip service to farmers’ crippling experiences with delays and repair costs,” Schweitzer said. “Not having right to repair is costing American farmers more than $4 billion each year in crop losses and repairs. According to a study done by PIRG, not having the right to repair is costing farmers an additional $1.2 billion per year in inflated repair bills.”

Schweitzer added: “John May, CEO of John Deere, has been paid more in salary by John Deere than this settlement totals, and in fact, this settlement is about the same as the value of Deere shares May owns. The settlement’s lax enforcement and oversight measures amount to a slap on the wrist for Deere, while farmers continue to face delays and high costs for repairs.”

Read the PIRG report here.