Despite the trials and tribulations that carried through into and throughout 2021, last year saw new tractor sales hit their highest level since the Celtic Tiger era.

The figure of 2,366 new tractors registered throughout the year was the highest recorded since 2008, when 4,531 new tractors were sold.

Meanwhile, at 3,726 units, last year’s used tractor import figures were the highest on record (as far back as 2015).

The year didn’t come without its challenges, with raw materials shortages, reductions in manufacturing capacity due to factory shutdowns and severe supply chain issues causing longer lead times and sizeable price hikes.

Over the last 12-18 months, new tractor prices have increased by in the region of 10-14%. The only good news on this front is that the price of secondhand tractors has also gone up. Depending on the tractor, you could say used tractor prices are tracking new tractor prices and have increased in value by the same percentage. Lead times on custom-spec new-order tractors are now estimated to be around nine to 12 months – unless the dealer has existing stock or stock on order.

Power bands

The trend towards the higher-horsepower tractors observed over the past decade is continuing to shift upwards, albeit its growth is slowing. A total of 88.17% of new tractors sold in Ireland in 2021 were in excess of 100hp.

The most popular power band is once again the 101hp to 140hp segment, which accounted for 49.45% (1,170 units) of new tractor sales. The 141hp to 200hp power bands accounted for 30.81% (729 units) of sales, while 7.9% (units) of tractors were over 200hp.

Tractor sales figures from 2015 to 2021 show that January remains the most popular month to buy new tractors. Although 2018 proved different, with July figures surpassing January units, this instance has not since been recorded.

County by county

Comparing and contrasting 2020 and 2021 sales figures, it was largely the western counties that experienced the highest percentage increases in tractor sales, including Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Westmeath and Monaghan.

Meanwhile, for the first time in years, only three counties in Ireland recorded a drop in new tractor sales – Offaly, Meath and Laois. And these drops were very small.

Seven counties reached triple-digit levels of new tractor registrations during 2020, as opposed to five counties in 2020. These included Cork (299 units), Tipperary (194 units), Wexford (160 units) and Galway (118 units).

Despite a 56% increase in registrations, Leitrim recorded the lowest number of registrations with 25 units, followed closely by Longford with 27 units.

Northern Ireland

A total of 525 new tractors were registered in Northern Ireland during the 12 months of 2021, new figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) show.

This equates to a 37.4% increase on 2020 when only 382 tractors were registered for the year. Northern Ireland accounted for 4.4% of total new tractors over 50hp registered in the UK in 2021, up from 3.7% in 2020.

The UK

A total of 12,017 new tractors were registered across the whole of the UK in 2021 (including NI) This marks an increase of 15.8% on 2020, when 10,380 new tractors were registered.

A slower year-on-year growth was observed among the higher horsepower units. While a strong growth was noticed at the lower end of the power range, the average power of agricultural tractors dropped back similar to 2019 levels.

The 2021 average was 166.3hp, well below the 171hp recorded in 2020 but similar to the 166.0hp in 2019. The AEA said that aside from 2020, the average has been relatively stable over the last four years, although it is probably too early to say whether the decades-long trend of steadily rising average power has come to an end.

Strongest regional growth was in the East Midlands and NI, both of which registered over a third more machines last year. Most other regions saw increases of between 10% and 25%.