The Executive Council of the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) has accepted two further firms into membership of the association at its March meeting.
Agri-Power (pictured below) is a well established John Deere dealership based near Beragh, Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Led by Noel McCullough, the business also operates a branch in Lifford, Co. Donegal.
The other new member is Paddy McGurl Ltd – a retail business operating at Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. The business is led by Paddy McGurl and while specialising in the supply of automotive and agricultural spares is also active in sales of farm machinery.
The business is a dealer for Malone and Fleming machinery, alongside a wide range of sprayers and fertiliser spreaders imported by Tractamotors. The product line-up includes other equipment too.
Gary Ryan, FTMTA chief executive, commented: “The addition of these latest firms to our association continues the efforts during recent years to grow membership – to represent the sector as comprehensively as possible.”
Rise in power
In related news, data from the FTMTA shows that the trend towards higher-power tractors in the Republic of Ireland is continuing.
The most recent figures show that 94% of all new tractors registered during the first two months of this year (2019) have in excess of 100hp.
56% of new tractors have over 120hp, while 29% have over 150hp.
Image source: Shane Casey
It’s worth noting that only two (agricultural) tractors of less than 70hp were registered during January and February.
The data also shows that a total of 656 new tractors were registered to the end of February. That’s a drop of only five units or less than 1% on the 661 units registered during the same period of 2018.
Image source: Shane Casey