Frustration in the fields as rain stalls harvest

Farmers have hardly turned a wheel over the past week after repeated rainfall across the country. Winter barley and oilseed rape remains incomplete in England and Wales, with the last remaining patches of crops being picked up during gaps in the weather. With more wet days forecast, farmers expect to make limited and very gradual progress. Very little wheat has been cut, and ripening crops are increasingly vulnerable to weather damage.

In contrast to domestic issues, the European Commission's research centre (JRC) has forecast a total EU cereals harvest close to 301m tonnes for this year – 43m tonnes more than in 2007. The greatest increase is for sugar beet, with yields across the EU averaging 70.3 t/ha (+19.0%). The total wheat yield is expected to show a significant increase of 10.4%.

The resulting EU production is expected to be around 141 million tonnes (Mt) representing an increase of more than 20.9 Mt (+17.4%) from last year. The JRC uses sophisticated satellite sensing and mathematical models which simulate crop growth to make their forecasts.