According to the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) the November 2024 registrations were the lowest recorded since December 2000.
However, the organisation notes that 408 machines was just 1.4% lower than the same month in 2023, making it the smallest year-on-year decline in 2024.
It adds that the market is normally quiet at this time of year, not helped by the already subdued demand seen this year. As for whether the Autumn Budget and subsequent demonstrations have played any part, the AEA states that it is too early to tell.
It brings the 2024 total up to 9,450 machines, 15% lower than the same period in 2023. Unless the December figures pick up significantly, the annual total is likely to be the lowest recorded since the 1990s, although only slightly lower than some years in the intervening period.