Total tractor registrations in July 2020 were nearly 44 percent lower than the same time last year, new analysis shows.
Figures from the Agricultural Engineers' Association (AEA) show that only 868 tractors (>50hp) were registered last month.
This figure is 43.9 percent lower compared to July 2019, and comes amid extreme weather earlier in the year and ongoing Covid-19 related uncertainty.
Some agricultural machinery plants closed temporarily in March and April as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Figures also show that overall tractor sales in the UK over the first seven months of this year were over 28 percent lower compared to the same period last year.
Tractor registrations are taken as a broad indicator of the strength of the domestic market for agricultural equipment, AEA explained.
Tractors must be licensed for use on public roads and as such are registered with the Department for Transport which allows an accurate count to be made.
In value terms, sales of tractors, plus parts and accessories, account for almost one half of farmers’ total spend on equipment, which again makes this data series a prime indicator.
