The number of registrations of new agricultural tractors over 50 horsepower (hp) in the UK fell by 20.7% in April compared with levels from a year earlier, according to figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association.

Across the UK, 1,025 agricultural tractors were registered in April 2016 compared with 1,292 for the same month in 2015. In the first four months of this year, 3,407 tractors have been registered which is down by 13.2% compared with the same period in 2015.

March is historically the peak month for new tractor registrations with the end of the financial year. This March, however, registrations in the UK were back 16.1%, to 1,236, compared with the same month in 2015.

The latest available figures for NI relate to 2015 when 439 new agricultural tractors of all sizes were registered compared with 596 in 2014, a reduction of 26.3%. In recent years, the highest number of tractor registrations in NI was in 2007, with 1,020 new registrations. Across the UK, the peak was in 2008 when 17,104 agricultural tractors were registered. Compare this with only 10,842 in the UK last year. Reports from NI machinery suppliers support the figures, with many stating that sales of parts have increased as farmers opt to fix broken machines rather than replace them as financial pressure continues across all sectors.

Bucking the UK trend last year were registrations of compact tractors (under 50hp) which are used mostly in landscaping, fruit-growing and horticulture. In 2015, 1,270 such tractors were registered in the UK, up by 16.2% from 2014 levels and the highest annual level since 2009.