Tractor sales down 20.7% year on year, figures show

Registrations of agricultural tractors in the UK were down 20.7% year-on-year in the month of April, according to new figures by the Agricultural Engineers Association.

This brings the year to date total at 3407, a decrease of 13.2% on 2015.

Total tractor power sold in the beginning of 2015 was recorded at 1.378m horsepower, which is a decrease of 17% from the previous year.

The average size of unit sold in 2013 was provisionally put at 150.4 hp which was 1.6% above the preceding year. Accordingly the total power sold fell 9% to just below 1.9 million hp.

Lower levels of registrations were recorded as the comparison was made with artificially buoyant conditions seen in early 2012 but as the year progressed the market stabilised.

Since the year 2000 tractor unit registrations have varied between a low of just over 10,000 units and a high of over 17,000.

However, in terms of total power sold, this was some 3% above the average due to the continual rise in average power.