A total of 72% of farmers who took part in an Agriland poll have said that they do not think that the equivalent of an NCT should be introduced for tractors.

There were over 1,000 responses to the poll, which came on the back off a coroner in Northern Ireland call for the introduction of MOT/NCT tests for all farm machinery.

The coroner’s call came in the wake of an inquest into the accidental death of a Co. Armagh farmer in August 2015.

It was discovered that faulty tractor brakes were found to be the cause of the accident.
nct poll

A statement from IFA said that it would not back calls for the introduction of NCT-equivalent tests for farm machinery.

“The safety of farmers is extremely important to IFA”.

“It is worth noting that farmers are currently subject to significant specific requirements regarding the safety of their tractors, machinery, farm vehicles and ATVs.

“Farmers are also required to comply with detailed safety practices, all of which must be fully recognised before any further measures are made mandatory.”

Three years ago, the European Commission proposed that tractors capable of travelling more than 40kph and trailers weighing more than 750kg should be submitted for an NCT-equivalent test on an annual basis.

However, the proposal was shelved by European Parliament.