JOHN DEERE reached pole position in the tractor sales league for 2003, proving itself to be the UK”s top-selling brand once again with over a quarter of the total market.

New Holland follows closely on Deere”s heels, narrowing its previous margin from nine percentage points to just four. The two brands account for nearly half of all tractors sold.

Massey Ferguson maintains third place, selling 2299 machines.

Hanging on in fourth position, Case tractor sales appear to be following a continuing downward trend. The company shifted nearly 2300 units in 1999. That figure has slipped by over 40% to 1345 in just four years. Capitalising on this, McCormick continues to consolidate, breaking the all-important 1000-tractor barrier in 2003 and capturing a healthy 7% of the market.

Valtra moves ahead of Renault – now Claas – and Fendt overtakes JCB at the bottom end of the table.