A fall in the latest tractor sales figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association reflect a tough 12 months for farmers and manufacturers alike.

Registrations of agricultural tractors bigger than 50hp reached 10,598 units in 2015, a drop of 14.8% on the level of the previous year.

The testing climate has seen most of the big players slim down production, while UK dealers are struggling to shift tractors off forecourts.

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While average tractor power continued to increase, with a 1.3% rise to 157.1hp, a fall in sales of 3.1%, to 558 units, in December was the lowest for more than a decade.

Weak global demand hit Deere particularly hard, as its worldwide net sales fell by one-fifth in 2015 and profit levels tumbled by nearly half.

Companies including Claas and John Deere are forecasting a further decline in the global market for new machines during 2016.