Young farm worker finds his stolen tractor – ‘It’s everything to me’

Spencer, who stored his tractor on his friend’s farm near Battisford, said he initially thought that it was a joke when he realised that his grey Ferguson TE20 tractor was gone.  

He said: “It felt like when you lose your keys or your phone. It was almost a heart-sinking feeling, really. I just couldn’t believe that my tractor was gone. 

“I’ve always dreamed of running my own tractor, and only four months after I bought it, it got stolen. I was planning to take part in a charity tractor run soon, but suddenly I didn’t have a tractor anymore. Also, I wouldn’t be able to work without it.” 

Luckily, after two long hours of searching, Spencer found his tractor hidden in the middle of a straw stack. 

“Eventually, I spotted tractor tracks in the mud and followed them. My tractor was hidden in the straw stack. It had only enough fuel to run for three or four minutes, and when it died, the thieves pushed it the rest of the way.” 

Spencer said that he felt relieved that I found his tractor. “It’s everything to me,” he added. 

Stowmarket tractor run

Spencer will join in the Stowmarket tractor run on 21st December. The event raises money for the Parkinson’s UK charity. 

The young farm worker has launched an online fundraiser which can be supported here. 

‘We can’t afford to back down’

Spencer recently took part in Suffolk’s Day of Unity to “safeguard his future in farming”. Ahead of the Autumn Budget, he expressed serious doubts that the Labour government would back down on inheritance tax changes.

“It fills me with disappointment, and I very much suspect everything’s going to continue as it is now. I don’t think we’re going to win, which is awfully sad, but we don’t know if we don’t try.

“Ultimately, we’re not going to back down because we can’t afford it. 

“There is no plan B, there is no other option, there is no money tree. It’s a tax we just can’t afford to pay,” he said.

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