There was a slight growth in the UK, and the German market remained fairly stable, but overall sales of new combine harvesters were down in most European markets last year with numbers falling 8-9% to around 9,000 units. Volumes were down in Scandinavia, Italy and Turkey, and the 13% drop in the French market had a big effect on overall numbers. With the exception of Turkey, Italy and Spain (where a bit of a recovery is forecast), sales of new combine harvesters are predicted to decline still further in most markets this year, including France. It is difficult to talk about precise numbers, but after attending the press conferences of some of the major suppliers at last week’s French SIMA the worst case scenario could see numbers fall to as low as 2010’s figure of around 8,000 units. A far cry from the recent peaks of around 13,000 units in 2008, and a very healthy 11,000 in 2012, the only positive note is suppliers expect sales of flagship combine harvesters to remain fairly stable. Overall market conditions are expected to remain challenging throughout 2015. The cyclic nature of the agricultural machinery business, the fall in commodity prices and new rules for EU subsidy payments under the CAP to be introduced this year are expected to add further uncertainties, especially in Central European countries. Finally, the global market for new combines during 2015 is expected to be around 31,000 units.