A total of 40 new combine harvesters were registered in Ireland for the first eight months of 2022, compared with 57 machines registered across 2021, representing a 30% drop, according to the latest data from the FTMTA.

The data shows there were 32 used combines first-time registered in Ireland for the year to the end of August, compared with 37 used combines registered for the same period in 2021, a 13.5% drop.

The association outlined that supply chain issues significantly affected the delivery of new combines to the Irish market.

They have also affected the availability of used combines across the UK and Europe, from where a significant number of machines are imported into Ireland each year.

Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers Journal has learned of a number of combine deals that were done months and months ago, as far back as October 2021, but delivery has still not yet been completed. It’s likely that when such machines arrive in quarter four, they now won’t be registered until next year.

This means the true combine sales will not be reflected in the final registration figures.

Flip side

On the flip side, a share of farmers who traded in their combine while waiting on a new machine, ended up having their trade-in subsequently sold on by the dealer. This left dealers and manufacturers scrambling to source temporary replacements for the harvest, some of which even had to be imported.

Speaking to some of the leading combine manufacturers, they didn’t shy away from discussing the tough year they encountered, with component shortages across the business. Manufacturers noted that certain models proved more difficult to secure, such as walker combines over rotary machines. Many manufacturers had machines assembled, but missing parts meant units couldn’t be delivered.

Some have noted that signs of supply chain easing are seeming to come from the cooling of other industries, such as the construction sector, where many big projects have been put on pause.

However, more are predicting a limited supply once again for the 2023 harvest. As regards pricing, it seems that such machines will be jumping by 16-20% for 2023. However, the only positive we can draw from this is that clean used machines should largely track these new price increases.

Counties

Wexford dominated the new combine harvester market with 10 new machines registered, and five used machines registered to the end of August 2022. Kildare accounted for six new combine harvester registrations along with three used imports, while Meath and Tipperary each shared an equal five new combine registrations. Cork had the highest number of imported used combine harvester registrations at eight units.