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Farm tractors on the eastern border were unable to get their correct position from GPS. The interference was apparently coming from Russia.
Farmers along Finland’s eastern border have a problem. Tractors and other farm machinery are no longer moving around the fields as usual.
The interference appears to be coming from across the Russian border and is affecting Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the region.
Kari PekonenIt is a big problem, said the farmer, who runs a farm in Parikala, about 10 km from the Russian border.
“There are some uncultivated strips in the field. Six or seven strips covering about ten hectares,” Pekonen said, driving a tractor through the field.
Farming today is essentially precision farming, with tractors automatically tilling, seeding and fertilizing precise sections of a field.
This requires satellite or other positioning data. If it fails, the tractor will work in the wrong part of the field, causing losses.
“This is especially important in organic farming. If you don’t till the fields, weeds will grow there. And when weeds multiply, we lose our crops,” Pekonen said.
Widespread problems following the Russian invasion
Antti AmininThe executive director of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners of Southeast Finland (MTK) said they had received complaints about satellite positioning problems from all over South Karelia. Several farmers reported problems in Lappeenranta, about 100 km south of Parikkala.
Kari Pekonen said the GPS satellite positioning problems began in the summer of 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Interference has also increased over the last year, as can be seen on the GPS interference map gpsjam.org.
Problems with free GPS data have forced farmers across the eastern border to use a paid system to control their farm machinery.
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