UK: NFU Confirms Huge Grain Harvest Despite Weather

The NFU has raised its final UK 2008 wheat crop estimate to 17.56MMT today, up almost 400,000MT from its last estimate of 17.17MMT, and an increase of almost a third from last season.

Ian Backhouse, chairman of the NFU combinable crops board said, "Despite the exceptionally difficult harvest, and losses to yield for later harvested crops, 2008 shows what has been achieved by farmers genuinely responding to markets combined with exceptional growing conditions for cereal crops here and abroad."

This output is due to both increased yields and greater plantings, with yield estimates showing an increase in all regions in England and Wales.

Defra area estimates show farmers responded to demand for food by increasing wheat plantings in the UK by 13 per cent on last year to 2.073 million hectares. UK wheat yield is expected to be up by 17.1 per cent.

The yield increase was largely due to excellent planting conditions last autumn and exceptional growing conditions during the season, a marked contrast to the difficult growing conditions in 2007.

Mr Backhouse added: "We understand from further provisional HGCA data today that milling quality is better than last year and, while results are mixed, on average quality is very good, showing that crops harvested before the worst of the rain will have broadly met bread flour milling specification.

"We are looking to millers to make use of as much of the UK crop as possible in a year where quality has been difficult to achieve across the EU."

UK spring barley production is estimated up by 27 per cent to 3.481 million tonnes, partly as a result of a 7.4 per cent increase in yields on 2007 but mainly due to an 18.3 per cent increase in planting. Average winter barley yield for the UK was up by an estimated 10.5 per cent. Total UK winter barley production was up by 21.5 per cent to 2.841 million tonnes, giving a total combined barley crop of 6.322 million tonnes.

Estimated UK total oilseed rape production in 2008 is 11.1 per cent down from last year at 1.875 million tonnes. Estimated yields were similar at 3.2 tonnes/ha but a difficult crop establishment period in the autumn led to a lower harvested area than 2007.