On this page you can find some key facts about the UK markets for farm equipment and outdoor power equipment, along with information about exports of agricultural engineering products from the UK.
On this page you can find some key facts about the UK markets for farm equipment and outdoor power equipment, along with information about exports of agricultural engineering products from the UK.
As the name suggests, the farm equipment industry provides a range of machinery used by farmers. AEA members primarily supply equipment for use in the field, typically either to support the growing of crops or for the management of grassland and other fodder crops to feed animals.
The AEA estimates that the value of sales of agricultural machinery in the UK reached more than £2.4 billion in 2022. That is 11% higher than in 2021 and up by nearly a third since 2020. Most of the rise in the latest year was due to higher prices as, in common with all businesses, machinery manufacturers faced increased costs for materials, components and labour. There were mixed trends in terms of the number of machines of different kinds sold during the year but the market was slightly smaller than in 2021 overall.
The table below covers some of the main categories of equipment and shows the estimated size of the UK market for new equipment, in terms of the number of units delivered annually. Figures for tractors are based on registrations for road use. More details of tractor registrations can be found on the Tractor Statistics page. Figures for harvesting machinery are provided for seasonal years (running from September of one year to August of the next). For combine and forager harvesters, they are based on retail orders placed, not deliveries. Due to supply chain disruptions, not all orders placed in the 2021/22 season were delivered during the same season. The extended lead times involved meant some orders for machines to be delivered in 2022/23 would also have been placed earlier than usual. Therefore, the figures for both of those years may not give a true picture of the demand for machines, particularly for combine harvesters.
| Calendar year | 5-year average 2018-2022 | 2022 | 2023 | % change 2022-2023 | 2023 % diff from 5-year average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural tractors (over 50hp) | 11,606 | 11,580 | 11,816 | +2 | +2 |
| Telehandlers | 3,571 | 3,830 | 4,230 | +10 | +18 |
| Sprayers | 670 | 620 | 800 | +29 | +20 |
| Tractor loaders | 3,490 | 3,510 | 2,020 | -42 | -42 |
| Ploughs | 590 | 480 | 430 | -10 | -27 |
| Power harrows | 940 | 900 | 620 | -31 | -34 |
| Grain drills | 775 | 870 | 610 | -30 | -21 |
| Fertiliser distributors | 2,040 | 2,060 | 1,490 | -28 | -27 |
| Mowers/mower conditoners | 2,930 | 2,970 | 2,030 | -32 | -31 |
| Tedders | 1,620 | 1,690 | 1,250 | -26 | -23 |
| Hay rakes | 1,390 | 1,370 | 1,010 | -26 | -27 |
| Utility ATVs | 7,260 | 6,850 | 7,800 | +14 | +7 |
| Utility vehicles (side x sides) | 6,380 | 7,210 | 7,000 | -3 | +10 |
| Seasonal year | 5-season average 17/18 - 21/22 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | % change 21/22-22/23 | 2022/23 diff from 5-year average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combines | 575 | 670 | 500 | -25 | -13 |
| Self propelled foragers | 172 | 167 | 148 | -11 | -14 |
| Round balers | 1040 | 950 | 700 | -26 | -33 |
| Big square balers | 240 | 255 | 255 | 0 | +6 |
The total domestic market for outdoor power equipment has been estimated at around £940 million in 2022, 2% lower than the previous year. In 2021, the industry enjoyed exceptionally high sales volumes despite supply chain disruptions and delays. The industry was still looking at strong levels of order placing in the early part of 2022 and volume sales in the first half of the year showed a positive trend for most product segments. However, the second half of the year provided an unprecedented steep decline in demand that was not only induced by the economic and political turbulence that most industries were facing but also by the weather. Summer 2022 was the driest this century and the 4th warmest on record.
Despite a 10% decline in comparison to the previous year, consumer lawnmower sales reached 1.45 million units. Within domestic riding lawncare, it was the petrol ride-on and out-front volume that declined steeper that the market. Domestic (front engine) garden tractors declined at a similar rate to the overall market, while zero-turn petrol mowers increased by 7%. Following the long term trend to electrification, for the first time hybrid and battery driven equipment represented over 5% of the total segment.
Equally, the battery-driven segment within walk-behind mowers grew most strongly (+30% in comparison to 2021), to the detriment of petrol (-27%) and corded units (-15%). In 2022, for the first time this technological shift meant more battery-driven units were sold into the market than petrol walk-behinds.
Robotic mowers showed single-digit growth and their share of the overall market is significantly lower in the UK than in other north European countries.
In 2022, the overall volume of commercial mowers remained at similar levels to 2021. Although compact tractor sales by AEA members were similar to the two previous years, sub-compact tractors lost their gains from 2021. Diesel commercial units, mid-mounted as well as out-front, were equally on similar levels to the previous year.
After unprecedently high sales of handheld outdoor power tools in 2021, it was expected that 2022 volumes would be subdued as households emerged from lockdowns and were able to resume their travels to their preferred holiday destinations, spending less time in their gardens and surrounding green spaces.
Lawncare handheld equipment like lawn trimmers and brush-cutters saw increased sales in the first half of the year but declining demand in the warmer summer months. Overall, the segment declined in single figures. The remaining outdoor power handheld segments, such as hedge trimmers, chainsaws and garden vacs declined at double digit percentage rates as their demand peaks in autumn were subdued. Hedge-trimmers lost almost a third of their 2021 volume and chainsaws almost a quarter. Garden vacs and blowers declined by 8%.
Although the market share of battery-driven products continues to increase and is now over 38% of the total, overall volumes declined this year due to supply chain issues. Petrol and corded units declined at a similar rate to the overall market, being down by 18%.
Figures from HMRC show that the value of UK exports of agricultural engineering equipment in 2023 was 16% higher than the year before, at just over £2.5 billion. The rate of increase was similar for tractors, which made up over 60% of the total, and other types of equipment. Coming on the back of even stronger growth in the previous year, that meant that last year’s exports were worth half as much again as shipments in 2021. However, the increase in exports was entirely concentrated in the first half of the year. Sales in the second half were worth 3% less than in July to December 2022, with year-on-year declines in each of the final four months of 2023.
The picture was similar for imports. Across the whole of 2023, shipments of agricultural engineering equipment were worth 3% more than in 2022, reaching just over £2.75 billion. However, in the second half of the year, imports were 7% lower than in the same months of 2022. That reflects the deterioration in the market situation, with imports in the first half of 2023 also boosted as manufacturers worked through backlogs of orders which had built up during 2021 and 2022.
The year-on-year increase in the value of exports appears to have been largely due to higher prices. The total weight of machinery exported in 2023 was just 3% higher than the year before. That suggests the average price of exported machines was up by over 10%, compared with 2022, although the mix of machines involved will have had an influence too. By the second half of the year, the mass of equipment exported was down by 12% (and -18% in the final quarter).
If anything, price seems to have been even more influential for imports, with the weight of farm equipment imported down by 13% year on year. That indicates an average price rise of around 15% for imported equipment, compared with the year before.
| Exports | Imports | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product category | Value (£ million, 2023) | Change 2022-23 | Value (£ million, 2023) | Change 2022-23 |
| Tractors | 1,557.8 | +15% | 1,041.7 | +12% |
| Mowers for lawns, parks and sport grounds | 210.7 | +28% | 254.5 | -13% |
| Harvesting and threshing machinery | 275.2 | +21% | 530.4 | +3% |
| Soil preparation and cultivation machinery | 135.9 | +17% | 283.2 | -8% |
| Engines for tractors | 67.8 | +8% | 102.9 | +7% |
| Other agricultural and forestry machinery | 257.6 | +12% | 457.6 | +6% |
| Other outdoor power equipment | 7.5 | +69% | 85.8 | -14% |
| Total | 2,512.6 | +16% | 2,756.0 | +3% |
