The Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) has completed collating registrations for the first quarter of 2022. Between January and March, 3,047 machines were registered, 7% fewer than in the first quarter of 2021.
In terms of the power of machines registered, the AEA reports that there has been solid growth in the 51-80hp range, with registrations up by nearly half when compared to 2021.
However, that range still accounted for just 6% of total registrations and numbers were down for most other power bands. Any increases in individual power range may be down to changes in specifications, rather than underlying trends.
The sharpest decline was in the 241-320hp range, where registrations dropped by more than a third, compared to January to March 2021. The AEA states that this could be due to delivery delays, rather than changes to demand.
At a regional level, the most significant movements (other than a sharp rise in the Home Counties, which accounts for a small number of registrations) were substantial declines in registrations across the South East of England and East Anglia. Both saw falls of between a quarter and a third compared to the first quarter of 2021.
Most other regions of England recorded smaller year-on-year changes, while Wales recorded a 10% increase. Scottish and Northern Ireland saw declines of 3% and 9% respectively.