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

A total of 219 used imports were registered in April, down 32% on the 321 units registered in April 2021. This follows on from the 227 units registered in January, the 258 units registered during February, and the 221 units registered in March to bring the total for the first four months of 2022 to 925 units.

This means the first four months of used tractor imports for 2022 are down over 45% on the 1,692 units imported for the same period last year. However, to put this into context, the first four months of 2021 was the highest on record since used import registrations started being recorded by the FTMTA in 2015.

Comment

The post-Brexit imposition of customs and import regulations hasn’t stood as the main barrier to imports from England as many initially thought. Rather, the drop in numbers is being largely blamed on the limited supply of new tractors caused by lingering supply chain issues. These supply chain issues were initiated during Covid-19, and have been worsened by the war in Ukraine.

CEMA, the association representing the European agricultural machinery industry, in its most recent market trends report outlined that nearly half of the manufacturers it spoke to are planning to temporarily halt production due to a shortage of certain components in the coming four weeks. The association also outlined that manufacturers are expecting this shortage to result in a machine production shortfall of 18% on average for the current period.

The first four months of used tractor imports for 2022 are down over 45% on the 1,692 units imported for the same period last year.