National new tractor sales have declined for the second month in a row as a result of a lack of available stock and processing delays at ports across the country.
February sales were down 29 per cent on the same month a year prior and are sitting 27pc behind for the year-to-date.
Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia executive director Gary Northover said the supply of machines out of the US at present was very slow, with lead times often stretching beyond 12 months and the situation out of Europe was only slightly better.
Mr Northover said interest rate increases were having an affect on smaller and mid-size tractor ranges.
He said the third reason behind the drop off in numbers was delays in processing roll-on, roll-off products at Australian ports.
"New vehicle offshore pre-loading biosecurity requirements introduced by the Australian government's Department of Agriculture and Water Resources require all new and used vehicles imported to Australia to meet strict new biosecurity requirements before being allowed entry into the country," Mr Northover said.
"These requirements include inspections, treatment if necessary, and documentation to verify compliance.
"A senior industry figure contacted by the TMA has confirmed these additional regulations are creating significant bottlenecks at the wharves, with long waiting times for shipping vessels to be processed."
Mr Northover said under the new regulations, if any foreign material was found on any item of imported machinery, the whole shipment would be put on hold for de-seeding and further cleaning.
"This slow and manual process can only take place at approved facilities, causing enormous inefficiencies on the system, leading to huge volumes of vehicles left in quarantine awaiting processing," he said.
"The delays are also causing significant challenges for shipping companies, with many vessels being forced to divert to other ports in the region."
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A range of measures have been announced by the federal government to address these challenges and improve the efficiency of the shipping industry.
This includes increased investment in biosecurity infrastructure and additional resources to support the processing of incoming vessels.
"Despite these efforts, industry experts warn the processing delays are likely to continue for some time with the complex nature of the biosecurity requirements meaning it is unlikely these issues will be resolved any time soon," Mr Northover said.
"Particularly affected will be farmers looking to sow winter crops and harvest crops such as grapes due to an unprecedented backlog in vehicle processing leaving their incoming machinery stuck in ports around the country."
With the exception of the Northern Territory finishing 43pc aheadin February, all other states recorded a decline in sales.
Sales in Queensland dropped 21pc and sales in NSW fell by 38pc.
In South Australia there was a 36pc decline and sales in Western Australia were down by 18pc.
Sales in Victoria declined by 27pc and numbers dropped by 27pc in Tasmania.
The under 30 kilowatt (40 horsepower) category dipped 5pc, while the 30 to 75kw (40 to 100hp) range declined 31pc in the month.
Sales in the 75 to 150kw (100 to 200hp) category were down by 27pc and sales in the 150kw (200hp) plus range fell a hefty 60pc.
Mr Northover said harvester sales remained healthy in February, supplying the back end of this year's harvest with a further 20 units being delivered in the month.
Baler sales were in line with last year and sales of out-front mowers dipped by 3pc.
