As reported in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal, the end of year figures from the FTMTA Statistics Service show a an increase in new tractor registrations of slightly more than 17% during 2011 with a final figure of 1,543 new tractors registered during the year.

FTMTA cannot release detailed info for a given year until 12 months have passed due to an EU competition regulation but can, at this stage, issue information regarding registrations by brand during 2010 which saw the lowest level of new tractor sales in many years. Of the total of 1,315 tractors registered in 2010 the top five brands were:

John Deere with 30%,

New Holland with 13%,

Massey Ferguson with 12%

Zetor with 10%

Landini with 7%.

The John Deere market share included a very substantial order for a semi state company during the year.

Registrations of new tractors (>50 hp) in the UK increased by 5.6% to a total of 14,094 during 2011, according to figures released by the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA). Northern Ireland saw an increase in registrations of 10.5% to a total of 611 units during the year. While the increase in Northern Ireland is less than that experienced in the Republic, sales in the North had not fallen as dramatically in recent years. Interestingly, registration in the Eastern region of England fell by nearly 5% during the year which is being attributed to the extremely dry conditions experienced in that area during 2011 and the consequent impact on crop yields and farm revenue.