Ripon Farm Services reports losses due to decline in ag machinery sales
5th November 2025
Machinery dealer Ripon Farm Services has confirmed that its operating loss more than doubled in 2024, driven by, among other factors, the decline in sales.
According to the annual report and group financial statement for the year ended 31st January 2025, Ripon Farm Services reported a 13% decline in revenue, in line with the contraction of the UK tractor market.
The company has also marked a 157% increase in operating loss. The business lost £1.8 million, compared to £0.7 million in the previous year.
The report revealed that the increase in operating loss is in line with “reduced turnover, write-down of stock and exceptional items”.
Challenging years for British farmers
A spokesperson for the company explained: “The UK tractor and broader agricultural machinery market faced significant headwinds in 2024 and early 2025, driven by challenging weather, elevated input costs, low farmer confidence, and subdued commodity prices – particularly in the arable sector.”
They added that farmers’ lack of confidence was exacerbated due to the uncertainty and potential impact of UK national economic and agricultural policy, and global trading conditions, triggering a significant drop in machinery/tractor orders.
“In the UK, this led to a contraction in new equipment sales, with tractors hitting their lowest registration levels in over 25 years. The Board, in line with its growth strategy, proactively sought to generate cash by controlling inventory levels despite the challenging market conditions,” they continued.
A spokesperson for Ripon Farm Services said that the business has been further enhanced through a right-sising strategy focused on reducing costs and promoting greater flexibility, efficiency and alignment in operations at scale.
“As a result, the Group generated cash from operations to the tune of £11.6m in spite of the reduction in profits and evolved systems and practices to improve our capabilities aligned to our long-term growth strategy.
“There are encouraging signs that the bottom of the market has been reached and improvements will be seen over the next year and beyond. The Group is now well-placed to benefit from an improved market, and our current forward order book is significantly higher than at the same time last year,” they concluded.
Ripon Farm Services operated 13 depots across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Teesside and Nottinghamshire.
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