According to figures released by the AEA, UK registrations of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) were down on a year earlier for the sixth month in a row during March 2019, with 1,557 units registered which is a 5.6% drop.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist for the AEA, said, "As is normal for the time of year, the number of machines registered was high during the month, representing the highest monthly figure since March 2018, but was 6% down on that month. However, it is worth noting that the March total was in line with the average of the previous five years for the third month of the year.

"After an even bigger slowdown in January and February, total registrations for the first quarter of the year were down by 9% (265 machines) on the same period last year, at 2,667 units.

"The slowdown in tractor registrations so far this year is likely to be partly due to Brexit uncertainty having an impact on farmers' willingness to invest in new machines in the short-term. Given delivery lead times, this could continue to affect registrations in future months, even if the uncertainty is resolved quickly."