Tractor speed move will benefit British farming and make roads safer, says CLA

Tractor speed move will benefit British farming and make roads safer, says CLA

The CLA says the Government’s announcement to increase the maximum speed limit for conventional tractors from next March will make British farming more competitive and the roads safer.

The organisation, which represents more than 6,000 landowners, farmers and rural businesses in the North, said it welcomed the changes to tractor speeds but was disappointed that the maximum weight on trailers will not be increased further.

CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said: “Rules around the maximum speeds for agricultural vehicles on the road have not changed for 27 years and are outdated. There have been significant changes in agricultural machinery during this time so keeping the speed limit the same would have been counterproductive for agricultural businesses.

“Raising the speed limit to 25mph will bring the UK’s speed limit into line with the majority of Europe, making British farming businesses more competitive. Not only that, roads will become safer as unnecessary congestion is reduced along with the risk of accidents associated with overtaking.

“We also welcome a second phase of assessing agricultural machinery for use on the road. The Government must provide greater clarity over which category differing agricultural vehicles fit into. Now that technology has overtaken legislative background, many CLA members are unsure how their agricultural vehicles are classed.”

Miss Fairburn said she was pleased with the announcement that the maximum weight for tractor and trailer combination will be increased to 31 tonnes but said it was disappointing that the limit for the maximum weight on trailers will not increase past 18.29 tonnes.

She added: “Allowing a heavier tractor to be used improves safety on the road, but farm businesses also need to be able carry greater amounts of produce, reducing the number of unnecessary journeys.”