In my capacity as the editor of your favourite journal dedicated to the dealer network, my email fills each day with tons of press releases.

Most are super helpful to me, coming predominantly from manufacturers our dealer readers know well. They will either be describing new machinery, informing about company changes or updating us on alterations to their network. These are essential to our keeping abreast of all industry developments - and I'm most grateful for them.

There is then a lower tier of slightly less helpful information that I tend to receive. These will often tell me about an individual or facility that has recently - or even worse, not-so-recently - purchased a machine that they are now using and that they think is good! Or how a company owner has issued a statement saying they believe their company is the best company ever. I'm always confused what I'm supposed to do with those ones.

And below those in my own personal ranking of received information, I seem to attract of a bunch of junk releases that are based around some arbitrary survey or findings. Some recent examples I've been blessed with have included; "7 common household items that can ruin your patio"; "More than half of Brits are now turning to AI chatbots to find the best shopping deals"; and my own personal favourite, "Saudi Arabia leaps from 104th to 23rd globally in the Mining Investment Attractiveness Index". Nice one, lads!

However, one did pop into my inbox last week that did achieve its clickbait intention. The headline was "35% of Brits Support Ban on Petrol Mowers" - so I read on. The survey came from a website called MyBuilder.com, who say their findings for this claim came from "Research conducted by Opinium Research for MyBuilder. Sample size 2,000 people via survey."

So whilst clearly only a small pool of the public has given their opinion on the subject of petrol mowers, I found it interesting to consider nonetheless. The release went on to say that men were slightly more in favour of a ban than women, with 37 per cent versus 32 per cent.

It then quoted Andy Simms, who was credited as an "expert from MyBuilder.com" who said “Petrol mowers are still extremely popular in this country, but it seems likely that Brits will move away from using them. Some local authorities are already imposing restrictions on petrol-powered tools, and it’s more than possible others will follow."

Andy concluded, "As technology advances, millions of Brits will be turning their backs on petrol mowers and moving to more environmentally friendly options.”

Which to be fair, is I think what many industry experts would broadly say will be the pattern of consumer habits as we move forward. I would certainly suspect that most of our readers who deal in any sort of grass machinery, be that domestic or commercial, would be witness to the momentum behind battery-powered alternatives.

I think our specialist dealer readers would agree that right now though, it isn't so much a case of petrol verses battery. It's more about being the local trusted expert across all fuel choices. The landscape of options for the end-user may be broadening but the fundamentals of the dealer’s role - expertise, service, and local trust - remain constant.

That survey's headline might be designed to look ominous (although it's worth bearing in mind that it could be rewritten as 'Two-thirds of Brits don't want petrol mowers banned'!), but rather than seeing that 35% figure as a threat, it can be read as a reminder. The network needs to stay ahead of public opinion, not behind it.

Dealers who embrace battery (or indeed robotics) where it fits, while continuing to support and defend petrol where it’s necessary, will surely be best placed to thrive - whatever policies or public attitudes emerge in the years ahead.