Scotland's 2021 harvest survey launched amid 'good' signs

NFU Scotland wants to hear from farmers as this year's harvest continues to progress
NFU Scotland wants to hear from farmers as this year's harvest continues to progress

Growers are being urged to complete NFU Scotland's annual harvest survey, as early signs are pointing to an overall positive picture.

The union is looking to hear from farmers across the country as 2021's harvest continues to progress.

NFU Scotland explained that this year’s harvest had been a 'good one' so far, following last year's which saw unpredictable and variable weather.

The union's combinable crops committee chair Willie Thomson, who farms in East Lothian, urged farmers to complete the survey.

“We need to know what is going on across Scotland, otherwise we rely on data from the major cereal growing areas of the UK, which doesn’t always best represent our members’ businesses.”

Figures provided will also be used to add weight to NFU and AHDB’s harvest forecasts and are shared with Scottish and UK governments to provide accurate harvest forecasts.

The more information that farmers provide the better, according to David Michie, NFU Scotland’s crops policy manager.

“This information helps us identify regional issues that could bubble up further down the line," he said.

"The hot, dry summer in the west has forced some farm businesses to start feeding this year’s silage, which could make grain availability very regionally important this winter.

"The information provided by the survey will be incredibly valuable to our regional and wider policy team.”

The survey only asks for crop yields and areas, takes about 5 minutes to complete, and should be carried out when harvest is finished or nearly finished.

The deadline to complete this year’s survey is 26 September.