Following on from Kuhn's acquisition of the Kverneland Group baler division in 2008, the French company demonstrated a reliveried FBP 2135 fixed-chamber baler/wrapper for the first time at yesterday's Grassland UK event, held alongside the Bath & West Showground. Mood amongst the machinery manufacturers attending the Somerset demo was generally upbeat, although most stated that ‘last-minute' May/June sales would be critical in determining whether 2009 grassland kit budgets were met. They added that sales to farmers were fairly buoyant. In contrast, some non-landowning contractors were having difficulty obtaining finance when looking to replace higher cost items, and this was affecting trade.