WHICH TRACTOR POWER BAND HAS SEEN THE GREATEST DECLINE THIS YEAR?

Following last week's report from the AEA that UK agricultural tractor registrations in the first half of 2025 dropped to their lowest level since 1998 and were 17% down on the same period last year, the Association has now released analysis on how trends varied across the power range and in different parts of the country.

The AEA says there have been fewer tractors registered so far this year across virtually the whole of the power range. However, the fastest declines have been for the biggest machines.

Agricultural economist at the Association, Stephen Howarth said, "Registrations of tractors over 240hp were down by 38%, compared with January to June 2024. This segment of the market was the only one to see growth during 2024, so it is perhaps unsurprising that it was the focus of declines this year. Below that level, the drop was a smaller, though still substantial, 14%. As a result, the average power of agricultural tractors recorded during the period was 173.8hp, down from 180.7hp in the first half of last year."

The AEA also reports that there were year-on-year declines across all parts of the UK in the first half of 2025.

Stephen explained, "The falls were smallest in Southern England, where only a handful fewer agricultural tractors were registered this year. These regions saw some of the biggest declines in registrations last year, so numbers there were still low by historic standards. Northern Ireland also performed relatively well, seeing a below average annual fall, after holding steady in 2024.

"In contrast, the sharpest declines were seen in the Midlands and North of England, where many regions saw falls of 30% or more, compared with the opening six months of last year."