Tractor sales in the UK in the first half of the year have hit their lowest level since the turn of the century, according to the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA).
The association released the UK’s agricultural tractor registration figures from January to June 2025, which showed a drop of just over 17% when compared to the same period last year.
According to the AEA, this is the lowest level of tractor sales in the first half of a year since 1998.
The data shows that registrations took the biggest fall when it came to larger machines, with tractors over 240hp seeing a 38% drop year-on-year.
The average power of agricultural tractors recorded this year so far is 173.8hp, which is down from 180.7hp in the first half of last year, according the the report.
There were also year-on-year declines across all parts of the UK in the first half of 2025.
The falls were smallest in southern England, which was previously the hardest-hit region (2024 v 2023), as stabilisation is taking place. However, the amount of units sold was still very low.
Northern areas such as Yorkshire & Humberside saw the largest declines (-40%), while the west and east midlands saw reductions of over 30% each and the north east saw a fall of 36%.
Northern Ireland performed relatively well, seeing a below average annual fall after holding steady in 2024.
These reductions have highlighted financial strain across the UK, with poor weather conditions over the last year affecting crops.
Some areas have shown a recent trend highlighting farmers’ reluctance to invest in machinery.
According to the AEA, a total of 4,869 tractors were sold in the first half of the year, which represents a 17.2% reduction in comparison to the first six months of 2024.
Of those, 2,228 units were registered between January and March, compared to 2,891 units in the same period a year earlier.
