UK Tractor Sales Rise and Fall
According to figures released by the Agricultural Engineers Association tractor sales have more than recovered in the first half of 2022, but latterly have seen a fall back due to the lack of manufacturing components and economic pressures arising through 2022.
UK Agricultural Sales Recover then Fall
After the challenges of the first half of 2020, due to a combination of Covid-19 and adverse weather conditions, it was inevitable that agricultural tractor registrations would be higher in early 2021. However, year-on-year growth of 25% in the first half of the year meant that registrations were comfortably above the average of recent years. Growth slowed in the second half of the year, partly because the market had already recovered in the closing months of 2020 but also because of widespread disruptions to global supply chains. This affected tractor manufacturers as much as those making a range of other goods and led to lengthening lead times for delivery of machines. Without these disruptions, registrations would undoubtedly have been higher still.
It is worth noting that the sales figures have never recovered to the peak they were at in 2008. So, recovery for the agricultural sector has been and continues to be a long road littered with obstacles to rebuilding the market.
As for July 2022, we saw 973 tractors over 50hp registered which was 4.5% down on July 2021's level and remains 6% behind the year-to-date figures.