Cork dominates the national tractor market every bit as much as it dominates farm production. Ireland’s biggest county has 10,700 registered tractors, accounting for 11.8% of all tractors in the country. Last year, Cork continued its dominance of the tractor market, where 10.3% of new tractors sold were registered in county Cork.

While the numbers of registered tractors rose in 2013 due to changes in the off-road taxation legislation, it resulted in tractor numbers increasing in Cork from 8,498 to 10,700 (see Table 1).

The changes in the figures show a 41% increase in tractors being registered nationally, while the increase in Cork alone was lower, at 25%. This would indicate that there have always been more active tractors in Cork, tractors that earn their keep on Cork farms day by day.

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The registration data also shows us that, while the county football and hurling colours are red, Cork farmers are blue supporters when it comes to tractor choices.

The Ford brand is still the most popular in the county, followed by New Holland. Between them, both of which are part of the modern New Holland brand, they account for 42% of all tractors in use in Cork.

John Deere and Massey Ferguson take third and fourth places, respectively. It is interesting to note that Cork has the highest number of John Deere tractors in Ireland, while it is in fourth position nationally when it comes to the Massey Ferguson tractor brand.

Cork also dominates the combine harvester market, accounting for 23% of used combine registrations in 2014 and 13% of all new combines registered. This is higher than any other county in Ireland.

Cork’s dominance in the dairy cow sector is replicated in the number of silage harvesters on the ground. The latest figures from the FTMTA Machinery Statistics Service show that 30% of the 27 new self-propelled silage harvesters sold in Ireland this year were sold to Cork-based contractors.

More dealers than manufacturers

Cork has more farm machinery dealers than manufacturers of farm machinery. While counties such as Mayo and Carlow are important in terms of farm machinery manufacturing output, Cork has more farm machinery dealers.

The interesting trend that has developed in Cork is that of multiple outlet farm machinery dealers. This was a concept pioneered by Atkin’s Machinery and the late Peter Wolfe.

Since then, John Deere dealer Farmpower has two Cork branches, while newer entrants to the dealer branch concept include McCarthy Plant and Agri Sales, which has a new Clonakilty branch in addition to the main outlet in Midleton.

Cork Farm Machinery opened its second retail branch in Midleton and the more recent branch establishment is that of Lynch and McCarthy, which has opened a new branch at Enniskeane in west Cork.

Newly appointed New Holland dealer MC & S Agri Sales has also joined the branch movement and has recently opened a new branch in Bandon.

The county has some well-established farm machinery dealers including Coleman’s of Millstreet, Cavanagh’s of Fermoy, Ryall’s Farm and Industrial Equipment in Watergrasshill, Paudy Buckley in Vicarstown, Kearney Bros Agri, Castlelyons, and MP Crowley Ltd, and Jim Power in Tallow, who is a Deutz-Fahr dealer for Cork, all with a long tradition of serving local farmers and contractors.

The newer dealers in the west of the county include Zetor dealer Derry O’Donovan in west Cork, John Hayes in Clonakilty, Pat Healy Tractors, Macroom, Dan Connolly Tractors and Plant, Skibbereen, and Deane Farm Machinery, Dunmanway.