The market for new tractors in Ireland is see-sawing by the month with the registration figures for August showing a decline of 30% compared with the same month last year, with a total of 86 new tractors registered.

The figures released by the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) also show that the new tractor market for the year to date is just 2% ahead of last year at 1,662 units.

The figures also show a steady increase in the numbers of used tractors being imported from Britain as sterling values stay low. There was almost a 30% increase in the numbers of used tractors imported into Ireland since the start of June, compared with the same three-month period last year.