New figures released by the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) show that March registrations of used imported tractors have continued at the high levels seen during January and February.

A total of 403 used imports were registered in March, up over 72% on the 234 units registered in March 2020.

This follows on from the 508 units (68% increase) registered in January and the 460 units (74% increase) registered during February, to bring the total for the first quarter of 2021 to 1,371 units.

First-quarter used tractor imports for 2021 are up 73.5% on the 790 units imported for the same period last year.

The first quarter of 2021 is the highest since used import registrations started being recorded by the FTMTA in 2015.

According to the figures, registrations for January, February and March individually were higher than any single month of the seven years on record.

Comment

It seems likely that many of the used imported tractors registered in January and possibly February were units that were brought into the country in late 2020 in advance of the post-Brexit imposition of customs and import regulations.

In addition, a number of tractors on yellow plates were booked late in 2020 to be cleared ahead of the new requirements introduced in January. It is believed a number of these units may have been recorded in the 2021 figures.

Dealers throughout the country are also reporting a huge demand on used, clean, mechanically-sound tractors. This is partly driven by the price of new tractors, which has increased by 2.5% up to 12.5% this year alone, with manufacturers blaming inflation and the move to Stage V-compliant engines.

Despite the additional paperwork and minimal added cost with importing used kit from Britain, many importers are beginning to become accustomed to the new requirements and Britain is remaining the largest source of used tractors.