According to data released by the AEA the number of agricultural tractors being registered across the UK dropped further below the seasonal average in August and, for the first time this year, it was also lower than in the same month last year.

The 395 machines recorded during the month was 2% fewer than in August 2025 and was more than 40% below the average for the time of year in the previous five years. That compares with a shortfall of just 5% in the opening seven months of this year. 

"Nevertheless," explained Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA, "registrations for the year to date reached 7,284 tractors, 18% more than in January to August 2025, with the annual figure still on course to return to the 10,000-12,000 range that was typical in the decade prior to last year."