Scotland’s farmers are heading for one of their strongest harvests in recent years, with forecasts suggesting cereal production could climb above 3.2 million tonnes — comfortably higher than the five-year average.
The figures, released by the Chief Statistician this week, show that crops across Scotland have held up well despite a season marked by extremes.
A dry spring and the hottest summer on record brought significant challenges, but strong winter crop performance is expected to lift overall production well above recent norms.
According to the report, “winter crops, including winter barley, oilseed rape and wheat, are predicted to perform well, with some very good yields being reported.”
Wheat is expected to see a sharp rise on last year, thanks to strong yields and more land sown. Winter barley and oilseed rape are also set to deliver high yields, even though the oilseed rape area is smaller.
The outlook for spring crops is more mixed. Spring barley, Scotland’s largest cereal, is forecast to produce around the five-year average despite drought.
Oats production is expected to increase too, though statisticians caution that early harvesting and limited data make predictions less reliable at this stage.
Final results, based on a wider sample of farms, will be published once the harvest is complete in December.
For now, officials say the signs point to “a good year for the Scottish cereal and oilseed rape harvest,” with strong winter crops compensating for the tougher conditions faced by spring plantings.
