Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
Farmers who have been victims of metal theft may have an interest in legislation passed by the General Assembly this summer. House Bill 199 tightened the law aimed at preventing the theft of non-ferrous metals, such as copper and aluminum.
Troxler says farmers are no strangers to this kind of crime. There have been accounts of farmers discovering their irrigation equipment had been stripped of metal pipes and copper wiring. Rural electric companies also were in favor of this law because thieves have stolen metal from power equipment.
The legislation tightened the law in several ways. For example, it requires anyone who purchases metal to obtain a permit from the county sheriff’s office before buying any copper or aluminum. The law also makes it illegal for metal buyers to purchase copper with cash. And it requires the buyers to keep a variety of records for transactions, including a photocopy or scan of the seller’s driver’s license.
Click below to listen to the Commissioner and Rhonda discuss this law and hear some interesting examples of the types of items covered by the law.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_7-24.mp3 |titles=Today’s Topic for July 24]
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