New tractor sales up 7.4% in NI

Sales of new agricultural tractors increased by 7.4% in NI last year, with 491 new tractors registered, up from 457 in 2017.

Figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) indicate that NI had 4.1% of total new tractor registrations in the UK last year.

Overall, there were 12,201 new agricultural tractors registered in the UK in 2018, up marginally by 0.6% from 2017 levels.

The average power of tractors over 50 horsepower (hp) has continued to increase, and stood at 166.6hp, up from 162.2hp in 2017.

Figures were also released by AEA last week which give a breakdown of tractor registrations by brand for 2017.

John Deere was the most popular tractor in the UK with a 28.4% market share, New Holland was on 15.8%, Massey Ferguson had 14.3%, Case IH 7.5% and Fendt had a 7.2% market share.

Rural dwellers in NI are happier

Rural dwellers in NI are happier than their urban counterparts, according to survey results published on the DAERA website this week.

Over 2,800 people in NI were asked to give a score from 0 to 10 to answer the question “how happy did you feel yesterday?”

Over 1,000 respondents were from rural areas with 45% answering with a happiness score 9-10 and only 4% giving an answer from 0-4.

Among urban dwellers, 40% gave a happiness score of 9-10 with 6% answering with a 0-4 score.