The biennial Agritechnica machinery show is the latest event to succumb to coronavirus pressures.

Originally scheduled for November 2021, the DLG (German Agricultural Society) has made the call to delay the event by four months, meaning it will now run from 27 February to 5 March 2022 at its usual home in Hanover, Germany.

This, the organisers hope, will minimise the effect of sluggish Covid-19 vaccination programmes across Europe.

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Given the huge financial commitments, labour and logistical planning required to exhibit at farming’s foremost machinery fair, several big names had previously announced their intentions to pull out – including John Deere and Deutz-Fahr.

“We are convinced that by late summer, which is the deadline for exhibitors to register for Agritechnica 2022, we will be able to give our exhibitors and visitors the clarity necessary for certainty in their planning,” said Dr Reinhard Grandke, chief executive of the DLG.

It means 2022 will be a busy year for major shows, with Sima scheduled to take place in Paris from 6-10 November.