The AEA recently released figures for UK tractor registrations for March, which brought the total for the opening three months of the year to 3,047 machines, 7% fewer than in the first quarter of 2021, although above the recent average for the time of year.

Now the Association has taken a look at registrations during January to March in more detail.

At regional level, the most significant movements they say, (other than a sharp rise in the Home Counties which only accounts for a small number of registrations) were substantial declines in the number of tractors registered in the South East of England and East Anglia.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA, said, "Both saw falls of between a quarter and a third, compared with the first quarter of 2021. Most other regions of England recorded smaller year-on-year changes, while Wales saw a 10% increase. Scottish and Northern Irish registrations declined, by 3% and 9%, respectively."

In terms of the power of machines registered, there was solid growth in the 51-80hp range, with registrations up by nearly half, compared with a year earlier.

"However," says Stephen, "that range still accounted for just 6% of total registrations and numbers were down for most other power bands. Any increases in individual power ranges may be down to changes in specification, rather than underlying trends.

"The sharpest decline was in the 241-320hp range, where registrations were down by more than a third, compared with January to March 2021. Of course, in the current climate, that might be down to delivery delays rather than a shift in underlying demand."