NAAC contractor price guide 2025-26
© Thomas Freeland-Cook Farms can expect to pay more for outsourced agricultural work this year, according to the latest survey by the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC).
Its annual round-up of members’ prices, which are widely used as an industry benchmark, suggest that charge rates will rise by an average of 5.7% as contractors battle high machinery and staff costs.
However, the association emphasises that the figures quoted in the table below only serve as a guide, and individual businesses should calculate their own costs to ensure services are viable for both parties.
See also: Contractor Comment: Diversification key for JO Straughan and Co
Prices are based on red diesel at 70p/litre, excluding AdBlue, so contractors should add a surcharge to reflect rises in fuel price beyond that mark.
Any non-agricultural services will require the use of white diesel.
Contractors may also have individual arrangements with customers regarding diesel (for example, separate fuel surcharge or fuel used on farm).
The figures do not account for this market trend and such agreements may make a significant difference to contracting charges.
It’s also worth noting that table only shows an average of the prices provided by NAAC members.
The actual price may vary considerably between regions, soil types, distance travelled, size of contract undertaken, size and type of equipment used, and the amount of product applied.
Operations involving a trailed machine include a tractor and operator.
NAAC contracting prices survey 2025 |
|||
|
Soil preparation |
£/ha
|
£/acre
|
£/hour
|
|
Ploughing – light land |
79.21 |
32.06 |
|
|
Ploughing – heavy land |
87.22 |
35.03 |
|
|
Extra for furrow press on plough |
9.47 |
3.83 |
|
|
Deep ploughing (more than 30cm) |
96.57 |
39.08 |
|
|
Rotavating (ploughed land/grass) |
97.84 |
39.59 |
|
|
Subsoiling |
79.47 |
32.16 |
|
|
Mole ploughing – single leg |
107.78 |
43.62 |
|
|
Mole ploughing – twin leg |
101.58 |
41.11 |
|
|
Stubble raking |
29.65 |
12 |
|
|
Disc harrowing |
63.06 |
25.52 |
|
|
Power harrowing – shallow |
71.04 |
28.75 |
|
|
Power harrowing – deep |
82 |
33.19 |
|
|
Spring-tine harrowing |
47.39 |
19.18 |
|
|
Pressing (Rexius Twin/Cultipress or similar) |
60.57 |
24.51 |
|
|
One-pass tillage train |
83.63 |
33.85 |
|
|
Rolling – flat |
35.11 |
14.21 |
|
|
Rolling – ring |
25.83 |
10.45 |
|
|
Bed tilling |
258.98 |
104.81 |
|
|
Chain harrowing |
33.9 |
13.72 |
|
|
Drilling |
£/ha |
£/acre |
£/hour |
|
Cereals – conventional |
65.57 |
26.54 |
|
|
Cereals – combination drill |
84.72 |
34.29 |
|
|
Cereals – direct |
77.63 |
31.42 |
|
|
OSR – subsoiler |
94.8 |
38.37 |
|
|
Sugar beet |
75.28 |
30.47 |
|
|
Potato planting |
248.55 |
100.59 |
|
|
Carrot/parsnip/onion – precision |
98.84 |
40 |
|
|
Maize – precision |
60.63 |
24.54 |
|
|
Maize – under plastic |
163.08 |
66 |
|
|
Grass seed – broadcast |
34.59 |
14 |
|
|
Grass seed – harrow |
52.14 |
21.1 |
|
|
Grass seed – cross drilling (per pass) |
68.09 |
27.56 |
|
|
Application |
£/ha
|
£/acre
|
£/hour
|
|
Fertiliser – granular |
15.93 |
6.45 |
|
|
Fertiliser – extra for variable rate |
6.04 |
2.44 |
|
|
Fertiliser – liquid |
16.48 |
6.67 |
|
|
Fertiliser – drone |
37.06 |
15 |
|
|
Spraying – arable |
16.52 |
6.68 |
|
|
Spraying – grassland |
24.24 |
9.81 |
83 |
|
ATV spraying |
|
|
50.67 |
|
Slug pelleting |
11.35 |
4.59 |
|
|
Avadex |
19.41 |
7.85 |
|
|
Weed wiping |
|
|
75 |
|
|
£/t |
|
|
|
Lime spreading |
9.53 |
|
|
|
Muck and slurry |
£/t |
£/cu m |
£/hour |
|
Farmyard manure (FYM) – tractor and rear-discharge spreader |
3.93 |
|
69.55 |
|
FYM – tractor and side-discharge spreader |
5 |
|
60.57 |
|
Loading and spreading chicken litter |
6.11 |
|
|
|
Loading and spreading FYM and compost |
3.50 |
|
|
|
Loading and spreading digestate fibre |
5.50 |
|
|
|
Loading shovel |
|
|
72.69 |
|
Slurry – tanker and trailing shoe or dribble bar |
|
|
75.61 |
|
Slurry – umbilical |
|
2.26 |
142.50 |
|
Slurry – extra pump |
|
|
73 |
|
Slurry – injection |
|
|
136 |
|
Slurry – separating service (with capacity of +\-100cu m/hour) |
|
|
140 |
|
Harvesting |
£/ha
|
£/acre
|
£/hour
|
|
Combining – cereals |
119.34 |
48.30 |
|
|
Combining – extra for straw chopper |
12.73 |
5.15 |
|
|
Combining – OSR out of windrow |
128.08 |
51.83 |
|
|
Combining – OSR direct |
119.44 |
48.34 |
|
|
Swathing – OSR |
65.07 |
26.33 |
|
|
Combining – peas/beans |
123.44 |
49.96 |
|
|
Combining – grain maize |
162.10 |
65.60 |
|
|
Grain carting |
|
|
58.56 |
|
Potatoes – harvesting only |
800.35 |
323.90 |
|
|
Potatoes – harvesting and carting |
1,235.48 |
500 |
|
|
Potatoes – destoning |
345.63 |
139.88 |
|
|
Sugar beet – harvesting |
291.57 |
118 |
|
|
Sugar beet – harvesting and carting |
325.31 |
131.65 |
|
|
Topping/flail mowing |
52.34 |
21.18 |
|
|
Grass – topping |
48.14 |
19.59 |
65.01 |
|
Grass – mowing |
38.35 |
15.52 |
|
|
Grass – tedding |
23.82 |
9.64 |
|
|
Grass – raking |
24.24 |
9.81 |
|
|
Forage harvesting only |
84.31 |
34.12 |
330 |
|
Forage harvesting – whole crop, three trailers and clamping |
208.38 |
84.33 |
|
|
Silage – complete service (mow, rake, forage harvest, cart and clamp; three trailers) |
196.93 |
79.70 |
|
|
Forage harvesting – maize (three trailers and clamping) |
229.62 |
92.93 |
|
|
Extra trailer for silage |
23.06 |
9.33 |
61.73 |
|
Forage wagon |
|
|
131.75 |
|
Baling* |
£/bale |
|
|
|
Small conventional |
1.14 |
|
|
|
80x90cm |
4.72 |
|
|
|
120x70cm |
5.93 |
|
|
|
120x90cm |
7.52 |
|
|
|
120x130cm |
8.78 |
|
|
|
Round 1.2m |
4.16 |
|
|
|
Round 1.5m |
4.75 |
|
|
|
* These prices may vary with bale density |
|
|
|
|
Wrapping |
|
|
|
|
Round 1.2m (six layers) |
7.09 |
|
|
|
Round 1.2m (four layers) |
6.23 |
|
|
|
Square 80x90cm (six layers) |
7.25 |
|
|
|
Square 120x70cm (six layers) |
8.87 |
|
|
|
Square 120x70cm (four layers) |
7.96 |
|
|
|
Combi baling and wrapping (six layers) |
10.96 |
|
|
|
Bale chasing |
3.25 |
|
|
|
Mobile feed |
£/t |
|
|
|
Milling/mixing |
28 |
|
|
|
Crimping |
15.50 |
|
|
|
Tractor hire (including driver) |
|
|
£/hour |
|
100-150hp |
|
|
50.75 |
|
150-220hp |
|
|
58.17 |
|
220-300hp |
|
|
70.25 |
|
300hp+ |
|
|
91 |
|
Additional charge for trailer |
|
|
15.35 |
|
Forklift/telehandler |
|
|
57.36 |
|
Tractor and post knocker |
|
|
57.63 |
|
Ditching – 180deg digger |
|
|
49.33 |
|
Ditching – 360deg digger |
|
|
56.50 |
|
Drain jetting |
|
|
60 |
|
Sheep shearing and husbandry |
£ a head |
|
|
|
Shearing – ewe |
1.81 |
|
|
|
Shearing – ram |
3.80 |
|
|
|
Crutching |
0.85 |
|
|
|
Sheep dipping (Note there may be an additional charge for used dip removal) |
1.50 |
|
|
|
Hedging and fencing |
£/m |
|
£/hour |
|
Hedgecutting – flail |
|
|
53.74 |
|
Hedgecutting – saw blade |
|
|
70.63 |
|
Hedgecutting – reciprocating knife |
|
|
66 |
|
Hedge laying |
17 |
|
|
|
360 excavator (7.5t) and tree shear |
|
|
80.16 |
|
Verge bank mowing |
|
|
57.67 |
|
Fence erection – post and four barb |
8.50 |
|
|
|
Fence erection – post, stock net and two barb |
11.38
|
|
|
|
Fence erection – post and three rails |
25.43 |
|
|
|
Specialist |
|
|
£/hour |
|
Snow clearing |
|
|
84.58 |
|
Labour only |
|
|
20.70 |
|
Chainsaw with operator |
|
|
35.43 |
