Registrations of new tractors in Northern Ireland for the first nine months of 2020 were down 30% on the same period in 2019, according to figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA).

Figures show that 34 new tractors were registered in September, up from the 18 units registered in the same month last year. The total number of new tractors registered in the region for the first nine months of 2020 is now at 308 units, down considerably from the 440 units registered in the same period in 2019.

This means the NI market has accounted for 3.9% of the total UK sales so far in 2020. Total UK tractor registrations for the first eight months of 2020 are running at 7,870 units, down 22.3% on 2019 figures.

Meanwhile, FTMTA figures show that 135 new tractors were registered in the Republic of Ireland during September, up from 63 units in August 2019. This brings the total number of new units registered for the eight months to 1,761, which is a drop of 4% on last year.