A total of 3,496 tractors have been licensed for the first time so far this year, according to recently published figures by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Last month, 183 new tractors and 221 second-hand tractors have been licensed for the first time, CSO figures for August 2022 show.
During the same month in 2021, the number of new and second-hand tractors licensed for the first time stood at 210 and 239 respectively.
First time licences for new tractors issued in August reached 208 in 2020, and 179 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. A total of 257 second-hand tractors were licensed for the first time in 2020, and 201 in 2019, the CSO said.
Most recent CSO figures also represent a monthly decline in the number of new tractors as 254 were licensed in July 2022, compared to 184 second-hand tractors.
From January to the end of August this year, 1,651 used (imported) tractors were licensed – down from 2,501 in the first eight months of 2021.
In comparison, a total number of 1,845 new tractors have been licensed so far this year, which is down from 1,918 at this stage last year.
CSO fuel clearances
Meanwhile, the CSO has also published fuel excise clearances which show that clearances of marked gas oil, which is primarily used for off-road purposes such as agriculture and heating of larger buildings, fell by 6% last month.
Clearances reflect the duty paid on fuel products when they arrive into the country, as opposed to when they are sold at the forecourt.
Commenting on the wholesale price index, the prices of which are obtained from the major fuel suppliers, a CSO statistician said:
“These general decreasing trends in fuel excise clearances may be a result of rising fuel prices, leading to consumers cutting back on fuel use over the summer months before demand increases in winter.”