There are ripples stirring among the farming community and farming organisations, including the Farm Tractor and Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA), about a possible introduction of NCT-style testing for all agricultural machinery and tractors.

At the moment, tractors with a maximum design speed exceeding 40km/hr that are being used for non-agricultural use and aged four years or more require roadworthiness testing. This was made mandatory back in 2018 but the Road Safety Authority (RSA) are considering extending this to all tractors. A spokesperson for the RSA said, “Based on an analysis of 2022 sales data, it is estimated that up to 55pc of all new tractors sold in Ireland could be considered powerful ‘fast tractors’ capable of achieving speeds in excess of 40km/hr.”

There is already strong resistance from farmers and farming representative groups on the topic. Their argument is that it would put financial pressure on already hard hit farmers and contractors to get their equipment to conform to the required standards, not mentioning the extra paperwork that they would be saddled with.

The RSA’s case for introducing the test is to help reduce farm deaths and injury from farm machinery. They want all farm equipment to be brought up to the required road safety standards. Statistics show that farm vehicles and machinery are involved in over half of farm fatalities. Of the 12 fatalities on farms in 2022, seven of those (59%) were from farm vehicles.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Farm Family and Social Affairs Committee chair, Alice Doyle, said “One accident is one too many, but what we notice in relation to tractor accidents is that an awful lot of them are not necessarily related to the fact that the tractor is not roadworthy, but due to human error.”

The RSA hope to have this scheme in place by the end of this year but with such strong opposition it remains to be seen if this will happen. My guess is that it will run for a good while more. 

If and when NCT style testing for all tractors comes into law, what implications will this have on Irish dealers? Owners of such vehicles will either bring their tractors to the required roadworthiness standards or will replace them with newer models. Either way, dealerships could be overrun with repairs and/or sales of new tractors. You may think this would be a win win situation for dealers but it could lead to problems for some. With Ireland in almost full employment finding suitably qualified mechanics to cope with the increase in demand for repairs could prove difficult. 

Service Dealer Conference and Awards

There are just over two weeks remaining before the start of the Service Dealer Conference and Awards. It will take place at the Crowne Plaza Stratford upon Avon on Thursday 30th November. The theme of this year’s conference is Taking Care of Business. Great speakers are lined up for the event and the much anticipated awards will take place later that evening at the gala dinner. Nine category award winners will be announced along with the Overall Dealer of the Year Award. I really hope you can come along and attend.

Service Dealer Ireland owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke, spoke to Tony Macer, national sales manager of Kress, who updated us on the company's sustainability policies, how they help employees with a work/life balance and the close relationship with their dealer network.

Tony says, "Sustainability is everything we do, every day."

Watch below or via our YouTube channel.

Service Dealer Ireland owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke caught up with David Hart, MD of Kubota UK, at SALTEX last week to talk sustainability, employee welfare and the importance of the dealer network in the customer's journey.

David told Duncan, "The important thing for our industry is to have a dealer network that engages with our customers."

Watch below or via our YouTube channel.

This autumn saw a new milestone reached in the development of the in-house Claas Apprenticeship Scheme when for the first time new apprentices not only from Ireland, England and Wales as previously, but also Scotland, came together and were welcomed to the Claas Academy at Saxham for their Apprentice Induction and the start of their first 3-week training block.

Claas say they are the only UK machinery manufacturer to deliver a specific in-house apprenticeship under one roof. This year’s cohort is made up of 22 students from 10 Claas dealerships who over the next four years will study for a Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard in Land-Based Service Engineering Technician. Their training will be delivered by dedicated trainers, alongside specialist product trainers from the main Academy.

During that time, they will study in the Academy at Saxham, with its purpose built facilities that include specialist fabrication, engine workshops and classrooms.

The high level of training provided by the manufacturer at the Academy was recently recognised by Ofsted, who in their first routine inspection praised both the facility, which they described as being 'outstanding', but also the trainers who were praised for the technical skills and their ability to impart their knowledge to the students.

The 22 students come from 10 dealerships: Claas Western (Frome, Dorchester & Evesham), Claas Eastern (Sleaford & Brigg), Claas Manns (Saxham, Norfolk & Market Harborough), Olivers (Luton & Petworth), Rickerby (Hexham, Alnwick & Burscough), Gordons (Castle Douglas, Berryhill & Strathaven), Sellars (Perth, Stirling, & Forres/Invergordon), Morris Corfield (Broseley), Sharnford Tractors and Erwin.

The GMA, organisers of the recent SALTEX exhibition, have said that this year's show saw over 7,900 visitors to the two-day event.

In a statement the Association say they were pleased not just with the quantity of visitors in the face of Storm Ciaran but also the quality

Geoff Webb, CEO, said, “The show data demonstrates that SALTEX continues to deliver on an extremely high level of quality attendees: 25 percent of visitors hold senior managerial positions at their place of work and nearly 80 percent play a role in the purchasing decision-making.”

This year, say the GMA, the show saw visitors attend from across the UK, plus it saw a growing international attendance - with a 20 percent increase in visitors from around the globe.

Geoff Webb added, “SALTEX has delivered for the industry once again - it’s the perfect platform to showcase the UK turf sector globally and is a success story for the UK as a whole. For the show to maintain its position as the leading free grounds management show in Europe is testament to how highly regarded and valuable the show is perceived to be in the industry.”

SALTEX returns to the Birmingham NEC on 30-31 October 2024.

Following the news about AriensCo ceasing all UK production, word has now emerged regarding the future of the Countax and Westwood brand names.

A statement from the company read, "We are aware of the outstanding history and role that the Countax and Westwood brands have played, particularly for the British market. 

 
"Nevertheless, there are currently no plans to apply these brands to Ariens and AS-Motor products."

The confirmation was made to Service Dealer founder, Chris Biddle, for his Inside AgriTurf podcast. Chris has published an episode called, 'Countax: The beginning and end of a brand' where he traces the 30+ year history of Countax and includes extracts from an interview he recorded in October 2021 with the founder, Harry Handkammer.

Giants Software has announced a brand-new game, which they say will introduce the next generation to the colourful and fun world of farming and nature - Farming Simulator Kids.

Promising to educate and entertain kids in a child-friendly environment, the gameplay focuses on audiovisual presentation instead of text. Virtual neighbours - including some anthropomorphic animal characters - display their needs for help and ask young players to harvest crops or prepare a delicious sandwich.

Children explore farm locations to grow and harvest healthy crops, or care for farm animals like cows, chickens, or geese in their stables. As big tractors and other vehicles are a must, kids can operate a variety of machines by John Deere, all while creating educational farming stories that are rewarded with achievements and can be captured with a video creator mode. 

"We're thrilled beyond measure to introduce young children to farming in a playful and sheltered way," says Thomas Frey, creative director at Giants Software. "With John Deere as our ideal partner for Farming Simulator Kids, we're creating an educational and unforgettable - even inspiring - farming game for young players, one that may even nurture their general interest in farming.”

Stefan Mügge, manager marketing communication at John Deere added, "It is a pleasure for us to support such an appealing project, which introduces children to agriculture in a playful way and awakens their interest in food production."

The game will be available on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in spring 2024.

Claas has approved the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils (HVO) in all its self-propelled machines with engines that meet the latest Stage V emissions standards.

The company has also announced that going forward all tractors and harvesting machines will be filled with this sustainable biofuel before they leave the factory, so saving, they say, 2,500 tonnes of CO2 a year.

HVO consists mainly of used cooking oil and animal fats, along with vegetable oils, and has several advantages in that it does not require any engine upgrades, and can even be used in conjunction with conventional diesel fuel, so does not require any special storage facilities. Performance in terms of power, wear, durability or engine lifetime say Claas, is similar but over the entire life cycle of the engine, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 90%.

The manufacturer says that currently, for a high horsepower engine there are no realistic alternatives to fossil fuels. While battery-power offers advantages for low power engines, for a machine such as a Jaguar forage harvester, to drive it using battery power, yet achieve the same level of performance and range currently possible using fossil fuel, would result in a machine that is twice the size and weight to the current model.