Rising grain prices boost tractor sales
Arable farmers benefiting from increased grain and potato prices who are busy re-investing their cash are mainly responsible for the 8.5 per cent surge in new tractor registrations in Scotland, according to Fiona Ross, Scottish sales manager with Case IH.
"The main increase has been in the over 155 horse power range and the interest is coming from the arable sector," she said, "but there is now also interest coming from livestock farmers, especially in the 100 horse power range as they are seeing the price of their sheep and cattle increase."
The 2011 figures released by the AEA show 1,003 new tractors registered in Scotland in the first six months of 2011 compared with 924 last year in the same period.
In the UK as a whole 7,996 units were registered in the first six month of 2011, an increase of 2.9 per cent on the same period in 2010.