FTMTA news round-up

Tractor and self-propelled registration figures

The most recent tractor registration figures prepared by FTMTA cover the first six months of the year. The figures to the end of June confirm the position seen in earlier months of a market lagging some way behind the levels of 2016.

A total of 1,168 new tractors were registered during the first half of this year, which is a decline of some 12.5% on the 1,335 units registered during the same period of last year. June saw 66 new units registered, which is almost an 11% drop on the 74 units of June 2016.

The three counties with the highest level of registrations during the six months to the end of June were Cork, Tipperary and Wexford, with 153, 105 and 78 units registered, respectively.

Slightly over 86% of all new tractor registrations during the first six months of the year have been of machines with greater than 100hp, nearly 53% were of units with more than 120hp and 22% of all tractors registered during the period were machines with in excess of 150hp.

Backhoe loaders have seen a healthy increase in registrations during the six months under review with 28 new units registered, which is a 40% increase on the 20 units in the same period of 2016. Telehandlers show a 5% increase at 175 units over the six months and wheeled loaders are up 26% over the period at a level of 58 new units registered.

Self-propelled forage harvesters have also seen a reasonably strong level of activity during the first six months of the year, which is obviously the key time for sales and registration of such machines in the run up to silage season.

A total of 37 new self-propelled foragers have been registered to the end of June. Data in relation to registrations of new combine harvesters would normally only really become reliable during July as the harvest draws close.

Sales of implements are harder to track reliably given that such machines are not road registered but, anecdotally at least, sales of new grass harvesting related machines are reported to have held up well during 2017.

FTMTA executive council nominations

The 2017 annual general meeting of the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association will take place at 12pm on Thursday, 7 September, at the FTMTA offices near Naas.

Nomination forms in relation to vacancies on the FTMTA executive council to be filled at the AGM will be issued to member firms by email only in the coming days.

Any member wishing to nominate a member to serve on FTMTA executive council should complete the form and return to the association no later than 5pm on Tuesday, 8 August. Full details in connection with the AGM, including the agenda and associated material, will be issued by email only to member firms in due course following close of nominations.