Tractor registrations in April have dropped by 43% in comparison to the same month in 2019, according to figures from the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA).

The figures show that 119 new tractors were registered during April, down from 207 units in April 2019.

This brings the total number of new units registered for the first four months to 1,015, which is a drop of nearly 8% on last year.

“The ongoing coronavirus crisis and associated restrictions did not seem to have much impact on the registration of new tractors during March but the wider situation was certainly felt far more acutely in April when registrations of new tractors dropped by 43% during the month in comparison to April 2019”, said Gary Ryan, chief executive of the FTMTA.

“The farm machinery trade continues to operate in relation to the supply of parts, service/repair and delivery/installation of machines as essential services in support of farming and while new machines can be delivered, it was generally expected that this would be at lower than previously anticipated levels,” he added.

Cork (145 units), Wexford (68 units) and Tipperary (67 units) continue to be the three counties with the highest level of registrations in the first four months of the year.

It’s interesting to see that the trend towards higher horsepower tractors is continuing.

Slightly in excess of 91% of new tractor registrations during the first four months of the year related to machines with more than 100hp and 60% were for machines with more than 120hp.