AHDB has admitted to a data blunder in this year’s wheat harvest report, sparking concern among farmers already battered by poor yields and extreme weather.
The levy organisation has issued an apology after discovering an error in the background wheat yield data within its latest harvest progress report, published on 8 August.
AHDB has not yet shared the specific details of the error. A revised report, including data for the week ending 6 August, will soon be published on its website.
It comes as farms across the UK have experienced unusually early harvests this year due to hotter than average temperatures and dry conditions, with yields varying widely across the country and some producers facing significant losses.
Jeremy Clarkson, who farms in Oxfordshire, labelled the harvest ‘catastrophic’, adding that he’s ‘put all our grain in a hoover bag’ – with the beans failing, barley yields described as ‘dismal’, and just two of the 400,000 beetroot plants surviving.
Following feedback from growers and the wider industry, AHDB said it had worked with its data provider, the Andersons Centre, to investigate the issue. Andersons subsequently confirmed that an error had occurred.
AHDB said: “We recognise the pressures cereal farmers have faced this year, which have been compounded by extreme weather, challenging growing conditions, and increased costs.”
It added: “[We] apologise for this error and remain committed to openness and transparency. We recognise how valuable this survey is to our levy payers, and we are working with Andersons to correct the issue as quickly as possible.”
The second harvest report, covering up to 23 July, sampled 10% of the wheat crop and indicated yields were 11% below the five-year average.
By the time half the crop had been harvested, as reported on 8 August, the yield outlook appeared more positive, down only 1% on average, although major variability between farms was noted.
The levy organisation concluded: “AHDB takes feedback on our data and insights from levy payers extremely seriously.
"We will be reviewing our internal processes and methodology, as well as our work with third parties, to ensure the robustness and accuracy of future harvest progress reports.”
