FTMTA news round-up

Irish 2016 tractor market outperforms EU average

CEMA, the representative body of the European agricultural machinery manufacturing sector, has reported that the European agricultural tractor market experienced a significant 6.7% decline in 2016 compared with 2015, with substantial variations between individual countries. The Irish new tractor market in the same period, based on the registration statistics issued by FTMTA, saw a negligible drop of two units to a total of 1,876 new tractors registered in 2016.

In the two largest European markets, Germany and France, demand decreased by 10.8% and 6%, respectively. In France, 2016 started well, with growth in the first six months. However, this was reversed by a poor second half of the year. The third and fourth biggest markets in 2016 were Italy and the UK and both experienced a minor decrease of less than 2.5%.

The Agricultural Engineers Association in the UK reports that registrations of agricultural tractors there reached 10,602 units in 2016, a decrease of 2.2% on the previous year. Although this is the lowest annual UK total for more than a decade, AEA highlights that the second half of 2016 did see a substantial improvement following a first half that recorded a year-on-year drop of nearly 10%.

Spain was the largest market to see an increase in tractor sales during the year, with demand up by 7.8%. At the extremes, activity in tractor markets ranged from a year-on-year drop of 28% in Hungary to an increase of 73% in Croatia.

The drop in demand was not seen in all tractor categories. In 2016, more tractors under 50hp were sold across Europe than in 2015. Additionally, increased demand was seen for tractors above 250hp and between 150hp and 175hp.

CEMA reports that it is still unclear about what will happen in the market during 2017 but CEMA’s member associations seem to expect that overall demand will remain stable at close to 2016 levels. At a local level, FTMTA expects that the Irish new tractor market will remain at around the level seen in 2015 and 2016. The association feels, based on dealer sentiment, that the drop seen in registrations in January will be balanced by increased deliveries as the year progresses.

Kellys of Borris open days

FTMTA member firm Kellys of Borris will celebrate its 60th anniversary with open days on 9, 10 and 11 March from 11am to 10pm on 9 and 10 March, and from 11am to 6pm on 11 March. There will be an extensive display of new and used machinery, with all major suppliers to the business in attendance.