Initial figures suggest big harvest despite bad weather

Initial figures released by the NFU suggest this year’s harvest will prove to be big despite farmers enduring some of the most difficult conditions for decades. The figures, which are based on yield estimates from the NFU’s Arable Crops Survey and Defra area estimates for wheat in England, show yield has increased from an average of 7.7 tonnes per hectare over the past five years to 8.2 tonnes per hectare this year, an increase of 6.5 per cent on the five-year average yield. Defra area estimates show farmers responded to demand for food by increasing plantings in England by 13.5 per cent on last year, and 10.7 per cent on the five-year average, to 1.936 million hectares.

The planted area in 2008 combined with the increase in yield gives a total estimated wheat harvest for this year of 15.967 million tonnes, 18 per cent up on the five-year average of 13.521 million tonnes. The full UK annual harvest survey will be released later this month.