“New tractor registrations have started the second half of the year strongly.”
That’s according to data from the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA).
1,659 new tractors have been registered in the Republic of Ireland during the first seven months of 2019. That’s up 86 units (circa 5%) on last year. 281 units were registered last month (July).
The association’s chief executive – Gary Ryan – explained: “The July figures are eagerly awaited, as that month has become a very important one for tractor registrations since the introduction of the split-year registration system in 2013.
“July saw a healthy 13% increase over the same month of last year with 281 units registered. In fact, the July figure was the highest for the month since 2008.
“A total of 4,531 tractors were registered during the whole of 2008, whereas the annual total of new tractors registered has not reached the 2,000-unit level since.”
According to Gary, the improvement in numbers during 2018 and so far this year “gives grounds to hope that the market may finally get above the 2,000-unit mark once again during 2019”.
The three counties with the highest levels of registrations so far this year (January-July inclusive) are Cork (223 units), Tipperary (156 units) and Wexford (116 units).
Tractor horsepower
The ongoing trend towards higher horsepower tractors has continued during 2019.
92% of all new tractors registered during the first seven months have in excess of 100hp. 60% have more than 120hp. 32% have more than 150hp.