An expected boom in mechanical weeder sales as a result of growing anti-herbicide sentiment has failed to materialise, according to Lemken, so a multimillion-pound factory purpose-built for its weeder range is being sold.

The company – along with Amazone, Kverneland Group and others – snapped up precision hoe manufacturers from the mid-2000s, anticipating a substantial swing to mechanical weed control; Lemken bought Dutch business Steketee in 2018.

A period of strong sales suggested it was a good hunch, so the German group forged ahead with a new €18m (£15.5m) factory at Dinteloord in southern Holland and integrated the business and products under the Lemken name.

Earlier this year, the company announced a change of plan: the product range would continue, but would be manufactured and assembled at its Alpen headquarters plant in northern Germany to “optimise production, improve the product range and strengthen its competitive position”.

French manufacturer Carré survives administration

Customers probably didn’t notice much because production, spare parts supply and customer service at French tillage and grass equipment manufacturer Carré continued without interruption.

But behind the scenes, the company, based in the Vendee region of western France, worked its way through a 15-month court-supervised restructuring process, which concluded in July.

Carré is best known in Britain for its Prairial pasture groomer, an implement comprising aggressive sprung levelling boards and tines designed to level off mole hills, spread cow pats, rip out dead grass and generally help perk up tired pastures.

Importer KRM also lists Carré inter-row and strip-till cultivators, and tined weeding harrows in its product portfolio.

The French business is understood to have been saved by the Racine group, formed for this purpose by about 10 entrepreneurs and business leaders in the region, who injected cash in return for a 10% stake and now support the operation with their expertise.