NAAC contracting prices increase

Given the increases in fuel prices along with increasing machinery prices and other costs it was almost inevitable that contractor charges would increase for the 2026 season. The latest survey results from the British contractor association, the NAAC show just how much those increases have been, albeit based on a diesel price of 70p per litre. Commenting, Jill Hewitt, NAAC CEO, said,  ‘This year we asked members whether they plan to put up their prices to reflect increasing costs. The average increase is 4.84%, although there was a wide variation of predicted rises from 0–15%. However, the professional service provided by a contractor remains a high priority, ensuring customers can be confident their assets are protected, whether that is cropping, livestock, soil or the environment. This comes at a price, and 2026 rates have generally increased to take account of inflation and employment costs. Transparent, well-calculated costs on both sides will help maintain strong partnerships and ensure both parties benefit.’The survey is intended as a guide only, based on responses from NAAC members. Actual charges may vary considerably depending on region, soil type, distance travelled, size of contract, type of equipment used, and amount of product applied. Contractors may also have individual arrangements with customers regarding fuel (for example, a separate fuel surcharge, or fuel provided on-farm).        NAAC Contracting Prices Survey 2026Soil preparationCost per hectare  Cost per acre  Cost per hour  Ploughing:   Light land£80.02£32.38 Heavy land£87.82£35.54 Add for furrow press on plough£11.53£4.67 Deep ploughing (over 30cm)£103.72£41.98 Rotovating (ploughed land/grass)£102.34£41.42 Sub-soiling/Flat lifting£81.86£33.13 Mole-ploughing:    – Single leg£109.58£44.35  – Twin leg£120.15£48.63 Stubble raking£29.74£12.03 Disc harrowing£64.31£26.03 Power harrowing:    – Shallow/ seedbed prep£71.41£28.90  – Deep/ on ploughing£81.87£33.13 Spring-tine harrowing£47.43£19.19 Pressing: (Rexius twin/Cultipress or similar)£61.15£24.75 One-pass tillage train (solo/discordon etc)£83.66£33.86 Rolling:    – flat (grassland)£35.19£14.25  – ring (seedbeds)£27.70£11.21 Bed tilling£303.00£122.62 Chain harrowing£34.06£13.78 Inter row hoeing (camera guided)£54.36£22.00 DrillingCost per hectareCost per acreCost per hourCereal drilling:   – conventional (Vaderstad/Sprinter etc)£67.11£27.16 – combi-drilling (powerharrow drill/combination)£86.13£34.86 – direct drilling (tine/disc/strip)77.69£31.44 Rape drilling with flat-lift/subsoiler96.74£39.15 Sugar beet drilling75.67£30.62 Potato planting248.55£100.59 Carrot/parsnip/onion precision drilling98.84£40.00 Maize precision drilling60.48£24.47 Maize drilling under plastic163.08£66.00 Grass seed – broadcast35.93£14.55 Grass seed – drilling with harrow51.35£20.78 Grass seed – cross drilling (per pass)69.57£28.15 ApplicationCost per hectareCost per acreCost per hourFertiliser spreading:    – spinning disc£16.25£6.57  – extra for variable rate application£7.00£2.83 Liquid fertiliser£16.85£6.82 Drone  fertiliser spreading£45.00£18.21 Crop spraying£16.97£6.87 Grassland/pasture/paddock spraying£25.79£10.44 ATV spraying  £54.60Slug-pelleting£11.42£4.62 Avadex application£19.83£8.03 Weed wiping  £75.00Lime – spreading ONLY*£7.47 per ton  Slurry and Farmyard ManureCost per tonneCost per cubic meterCost per hourFYM spreading  – tractor and rear discharge spreader£3.96 £72.27FYM spreading  –  tractor and side discharge spreader£5.00 £72.27Loading and spreading chicken litter £6.31  Loading and spreading FYM, Compost£3.80  Loading and spreading digestate fibre£4.94  Loading shovel  £73.90Slurry spreading – tanker trailing shoe or dribble bar  £75.75Slurry spreading – umbilical £2.27£145.25               – extra pump  £75.37Slurry Separating Service (with capacity of + -100m3 per hour)  £145Hedges, boundaries and forestryCost per metre run Cost per hourHedge cutting  – flail  £56.07Hedge cutting – saw blade  £74.29Hedge cutting – Reciprocating Knife  £61.50Hedge laying£19.00  360 Excavator (7.5t) and tree shear   £77.14Verge bank mowing  £59.78Fence erection (with materials)     – post and 4 Barb           £10.65   – post, stock net & 2 Barb£12.57  – post and 3 rails £27.17  HarvestingCost per hectareCost per acreCost per hourCombining cereals£122.25£49.47 Extra for straw chopper on combine  £12.79£5.17 Oilseed rape harvesting    – Combining out of windrow£128.15£51.86  – direct combining£122.24£49.47 Swathing rape£63.00£25.50 Combining peas/beans£126.42£51.16 Combining grain maize£162.24£65.66 Grain carting to barn  £62.92Flail topping potatoes£90.00£36.42 Potato harvesting only£800.35£323.90 Potato harvesting and carting£1235.48£500.00 Potato – de-stoning land£345.63£139.88 Sugar beet harvesting    –   harvesting only£345.94£140.00 Topping margins/ flail mowing£52.65£21.31 Grass – topping£48.14£19.48£68.85Grass – mowing£38.14£15.43 Grass – tedding£23.89£9.67 Grass – raking£24.45£9.89 Forage harvesting only£84.16£34.06£345.00Whole crop forage harvesting, cart (3 trailers) & clamping       £210.45£85.17 Complete service – mow, rake, forage harvest, cart (3 trailers) and clamp£197.64£79.98 Maize harvesting incl. carting (3 trailers) and clamping£218.55£88.48 Extra trailer for carting silage/maize/whole crop  £63.58Forage wagon/hour  £135Baling*Cost per bale  Small conventional£1.18  80cm x 90cm£4.80  120cm × 70cm£6.01  120cm x 90cm£7.52  120cm × 130cm£9.00  Round 120cm£4.27  Round 150cm£4.78  *note these prices may vary with bale density   Bale-wrapping:    Round 120cm (6 layers of plastic)£7.33  Round 120cm (4 layers of plastic)£6.33  Round 120cm (without plastic)£3.33  Square 80cm x 90cm (6 layers of plastic)£7.28  Square 120cm × 70cm (6 layers of plastic)£8.90  Square 120cm × 70cm (4 layers of plastic)£8.00  Square120cm × 70cm (without plastic)£3.63  Square 120 x 90cm (6 layers of plastic)£8.57  Combi baling and wrapping (6 layers of plastic)   £10.96  Bale Chasing (per bale)£3.56  Mobile FeedCost per tonne Cost per hourMobile feed mixing and processing from£32.00  Crimping£17.63  Straw Grinding/Processing£21.20 £149Tractor hire  Cost per hourTractor + post knocker + man  £57.66Ditching using 180 degree digger  £53.18Ditching using 360 degree digger  £57.00Drain jetting  £74.00Tractor + man 100-150hp  £51.98Tractor + man 150 – 220 hp  £58.63Tractor + man 220 – 300 hp   £70.50Tractor + man 300 hp  £92.50Additional charge for trailer   £15.85Forklift/Telehandler + man  £59.42Livestock ServicesCost per head  Sheep shearing     ewe£1.93    ram£3.87    crutching£0.90  Sheep dipping *note there may be an additional charge for used dip removal.£1.60  Specialist  Cost per hourSnow ploughing/clearing  £82.25Labour only  £21.07Chainsaw (with operator)  £35.36Soil Sampling  £27.50