The continuing impact of disruptions to global supply chains led to a plummet in the number of UK tractor registrations last month.
Figures from the Agricultural Engineers' Association (AEA) show that there were 938 tractor sales in the UK over the course of June 2022.
This is down 36 percent compared to the same month in 2021, the AEA said in its latest update.
Tractor registrations are taken as a broad indicator of the strength of the domestic market for agricultural equipment.
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.
For last month's steep decline, the association blamed disruptions in the global supply chains as well as June 2021's 'unusually high' tractor registration figure.
The AEA said: "This year’s total is towards the bottom end of the range seen for the same month in recent years, although the extended Bank Holiday weekend at the start of the month may have had some impact. "
The total number of machines registered during the first half of the year reached 6,420, which is 6% fewer than in January to June 2021.
"[This is] despite reports that there is no shortage of demand, indicating the scale of the supply chain challenges facing manufacturers," the AEA explained.
"Registrations for the year to date were still 6% above the 5-year average, though."
