Global disruption to supply chains continues to cause delays on new tractor orders.

There were 500 new tractors registered in the UK in January, a 14% drop on the same month last year.

UK tractor registrations (above 50hp) were at their lowest level for more than 20 years, according to the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA).

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The AEA suggests that the reduction in tractor registrations is being driven by supply issues and that underlying demand remains strong.

Lead times between orders being placed and tractors arriving on farm are reportedly about six months. However, this can vary considerably between manufacturers and for individual models.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA, says larger, more complicated machinery is being affected more by global supply issues as there are more components needed and therefore more scope for them to be delayed.

Mr Howarth said: “Harvesters and telehandlers have been quite badly affected and are facing long lead times, reaching nine months to a year in some cases. For implements, it’s not quite as bad, but certainly lead times are longer than they would normally be, and currently three to six months is fairly typical.”

Demand remains high

Demand is fairly strong at the moment, according to Mr Howarth. Order books are quite full at many suppliers and that is also contributing to longer lead times.

“The fact that registrations aren’t particularly strong at the moment isn’t necessarily a reflection of the market, it’s just reflection of the situation with supply chains,” said Mr Howarth.