John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) relating to Right to Repair. The MOU is an agreement between the parties to formalize the availability and access to parts, tools, software and documentation for the purpose of repair and maintenance.
The MOU builds on the voluntary Industry Commitment previously made by manufacturers and dealers. The MOU provides greater detail relating to what specifically John Deere will make available to farmers and independent repair shops, including Customer Service ADVISOR and access to software, security locks and security related functions for the purpose of repair and maintenance. The MOU specifically provides that this access will not be allowed for the purpose of overriding safety features or emissions criteria.
The MOU reiterates in several provisions that parts, tools, documentation and diagnostics will be made available on fair and reasonable terms. The MOU defines that as the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and the distribution model of any respective item. This does not indicate a departure from the current supply chain model and reflects the existing state of market availability and pricing.
The overall purpose of the MOU is to provide a private sector solution to Right to Repair rather than a legislative or regulatory mandate. The AFBF states their commitment to not pursue legislation and encourages state Farm Bureaus to not support Right to Repair legislation as well.
Kim Rominger, CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Association, had this to say about the MOU, “This is a positive step in the right direction. NAEDA will be working to learn more about how the MOU will affect dealers and state legislation going forward and will continue to keep dealers informed.”
The MOU was only entered into between John Deere and AFBF, however the agreement leaves open and encourages other manufacturers to join into an agreement with AFBF moving forward.
The agreement became effective January 8, 2023 and can be found Here.