The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week advanced American farmers' and equipment owners’ lawful right to repair their farm and other non-road-diesel equipment.

EPA’s guidance to manufacturers clarifies that the Clean Air Act (CAA) supports, rather than restricts, Americans’ ability to make repairs on their own, and makes clear manufacturers can no longer use the CAA to justify limiting access to repair tools or software.

For farmers, timely and affordable repairs are essential to planting, harvesting, and keeping operations running.

EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin said: “EPA is proud to set the record straight and protect farmers.

"For far too long, manufacturers have wrongly used the Clean Air Act to monopolise the repair markets, hurting our farmers.

Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins added: “By clarifying manufacturers can no longer use the Clean Air Act to justify limiting access to repair tools or software, we are reaffirming the lawful right of American farmers and equipment owners to repair their farm equipment.

Small Business Administration administrator, Kelly Loeffler outlined that the EPA’s guidance affirming the 'right to repair' will save agricultural communities thousands of dollars by eliminating "corporate middlemen" and empowering farmers to fix their own equipment.

Right to repair

For some time, it's understood that equipment manufacturers have interpreted the CAA’s emission control anti-tampering provisions as preventing them from making essential repair tools available to all farmers in the US.

This has forced farmers to take their equipment exclusively to manufacturer-authorised dealers to be fixed.

This is despite the potential for the repair to be made in the field or at a nearby independent repair shop in some cases.

The US government has said that not only has this made repairs more costly, but it has also caused many farmers to opt for older agricultural equipment that lack modern emission controls, simply because they can fix that equipment themselves.

The government added that the EPA’s guidance does not change the law, weaken emission standards, or reduce compliance obligations.

It clarifies what the CAA already states, that temporary overrides of emission control systems are allowed when it is for the “purpose of repair” to that equipment to obtain proper functionality.

This clarification applies to all non-road-diesel engines equipped with advanced emission control technologies including selective catalytic reduction and inducement systems as well as Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system repairs.

Farmers and equipment owners are not required to rely on authorised dealers exclusively to fix equipment, according to the government.

On June 3, 2025, John Deere sent a letter to the US EPA requesting the agency issue guidance confirming that temporary emission control overrides are allowed by EPA.

The agency’s guidance is a response to that request and makes clear that temporary overrides are allowed under the CAA.

On August 12, 2025, Administrator Zeldin announced new guidance urging engine and equipment manufacturers to revise DEF system software in existing vehicles and equipment.