CONTINUED uncertainty in the farming industry, saw the number of registrations of agricultural tractors in Scotland over 50hp, slip 6.5% on the year to 1315 units – the second highest drop of the 12 regions in the UK.

This compares to the UK total registration figure of 10,602 units for the year to the end of December, 2016 which was a drop of 2.2% on the previous 12 months.

But while this is the lowest annual unit total for more than a decade, the second half of the year did see a substantial improvement following a first half that recorded a massive year-on-year drop of 9.8%.

Figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association reveal that the South-east and Channel Islands witnessed the biggest overall fall during the year, slipping 7.2%, with Eastern England dropping by 6.2%.

However, while half of the regions saw reduced sales, the remaining half showed slight improvements, with the best of those being Wales, where the number of unit sales improved by 3.8% to 1081 units, followed by Northern Ireland, which saw figures rise to 454, representing a 3.4% uptake.

But while the numbers of registrations fell on the year, the average size of unit continues to increase with a 0.8% rise last year to 158.3hp.

Total tractor power sold in 2016 was 1.68m hp, which represents a decrease of 1.4% against 2015 (only agricultural units of over 50hp). The average horsepower of 158.3hp shows a 0.8% improvement on the year.

Most horsepower bands saw decreases in the number of units registered in the calendar year, the major exception being the 161-200 grouping (+36%); the 241+ grouping also saw a marginal improvement.

Of all new agricultural tractors registered in 2016, almost 20% were in excess of 200hp.