New figures released by the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) show that May registrations of used imported tractors are continuing to lag behind the high levels seen during the same period last year.

A total of 261 used imports were registered in May, down 29% on the 367 units registered in May 2021.

This follows on from the 227 units registered in January, the 258 units registered during February, the 221 units registered in March and the 219 units registered in April to bring the total for the first five months of 2022 to 1,186 units.

This means the first five months of used tractor imports for 2022 are down over 42% on the 2,059 units imported for the same period last year.

However, to put this into context, each of the first five months of 2021 were the highest on record since used import registrations started being recorded by the FTMTA in 2015.

Comment

The drop in used tractor import numbers is being put down to several factors, but largely to the limited supply of new tractors due to supply chain issues.

These supply chain issues originated during COVID-19, and have been worsened by the troubles in Ukraine. It’s not just the tractor companies that are feeling the components squeeze, but all implement and equipment manufacturers.

CEMA, the association representing the European agricultural machinery industry, in its May market trends report outlined that 40% of the manufacturers it surveyed are planning a temporary production stop due to bottlenecks in the coming four weeks.

The post-Brexit imposition of customs and import regulations and the uncertainty around farm input prices have also played a role in the reduced numbers.