Tractor registrations in May have dropped by 38% in comparison to the same month in 2019, according to figures from the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA). However, this is somewhat less than the 43% decrease witnessed in the April registrations.

The figures show that 130 new tractors were registered during May, down from 210 units in May 2019. This brings the total number of new units registered for the first five months to 1,145, which is a drop of 13% on last year.

“While the farm machinery sector has been operational at all times through the restrictions, there is no doubt that reductions in manufacturing capacity due to factory shutdowns on the continent and other impacts on the supply chain are reflected within the lower levels of registrations of new machines,” explained Gary Ryan, chief executive of the FTMTA.

As the situation returns to a more normal footing at these facilities, such issues should be less of a factor in June although this is typically a month of lower registration activity with the new July plate weighing heavily on behaviour,” he said.

Cork remains the county with the highest level of new tractor registrations with 164 units registered so far. Tipperary (76) and Wexford (75) swapped second and third positions in May. Only two counties remain at single figure levels of registrations at the end of May, with Leitrim and Monaghan each seeing nine units registered so far this year.

Registrations of new tractors with over 100hp fell back slightly, from just over to just under 91% in the first five months. Exactly 60% of all tractors registered in this period have in excess of 120hp, as was also the case at the end of April. Nearly 32% of all registrations are of tractors with more than 150hp.

UK registrations

Meanwhile, in the North and across the water, UK registrations showed a sharp decline for the second month in a row. Figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association show that the monthly total of 586 machines was down 42% on May 2019, a slightly smaller year-on-year decline than was recorded in April.

May’s registrations bring the total for the year to 4,263 machines, down 27% on the first five months of last year and the lowest total for this point in the year since 2001.

The total number of tractors registered over the last 12 months in the UK was 10,501, the lowest level the moving annual total has reached since 2016.

Used tractors

Registrations of used imports have been very heavily affected by the restrictions imposed at the end of March. Such registrations are carried out through the NCT centres which were closed during this period.

Only 26 used tractors were registered during March and April and these are likely to have been units that were pre-inspected.

A total of 816 used imports have been registered to the end of May, which is a considerable drop of the 1,443 used machines registered in the same period of 2019. There is likely to be a large number of such machines to be registered when this becomes possible again. Even though the NCT centres are reopening in a limited way, this is only in relation to the National Car Test and there is no date for a resumption of VRT inspections as yet.