UK Census Results October 25, 2016 12:00 am It will be no surprise to most that the UK cereal and oilseed production for the 2016 season is considerably lower than for last year. This has been confirmed by the latest statistics released by DEFRA. These are from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture showing planted areas in the UK for the main crops, and also estimates for crop production in the UK. The key results for the arable sector are summarised in the table below. The data is only provisional at present, final results are expected to be available on 15th December. PROVISIONAL UK JUNE 2016 CENSUS AND CROP PRODUCTION AREA – ‘000 Ha 2013 2014 2015 2016 Change 15-16 WHEAT Yield (tonnes per Ha) Production (‘000 tonnes) 1,615 7.4 11,921 1,936 8.6 16,606 1,832 9.0 16,444 1,824 7.9 14,467 -0.5% -11.6% -12.0% BARLEY Winter Barley Spring Barley Yield (tonnes per Ha) Production (‘000 tonnes) 1,213 310 903 5.8 7,092 1,080 429 651 6.4 6,911 1,101 442 659 6.7 7,370 1,123 438 685 5.9 6,652 +2.0% -0.8% +3.9% -11.5% -9.7% OATS Yield (tonnes per Ha) Production (‘000 tonnes) 177 5.5 964 137 6.0 820 131 6.1 799 141 5.9 834 +7.6% -2.9% +4.5% OTHER CEREALS 24 26 35 41 +16.6% TOTAL CEREALS Production (‘000 tonnes) 3,028 20,084 3,179 24,468 3,100 24,734 3,129 22,086 +0.9% -10.7% OILSEED RAPE Winter Oilseed Rape Spring Oilseed Rape Yield (tonnes per Ha) Production (‘000 tonnes) 715 621 95 3.0 2,128 675 661 14 3.6 2,460 652 645 7 3.9 2,542 579 570 9 3.1 1,771 -11.2% -11.8% +36.6% -21.5% -30.4% LINSEED 34 15 15 27 +81.6% SUGAR BEET 117 116 90 86 -4.8% POTATOES 139 141 129 136 +6.2% FIELD BEANS 118 107 170 178 +5.0% COMBINING PEAS 29 32 44 52 +18.0% MAIZE 194 183 187 195 +4.4% FALLOW 255 160 214 251 +17.6% Source: DEFRA The wheat area only dropped marginally, but with the decline in yield, (especially compared to last year’s record), overall production has fallen by 12%on the year. The barley area has risen again, but lack of spring sunshine also affected yields for this crop which has resulted in the overall production falling by 9.7%. A closer look at the split between spring and winter barley reveals the area of winter barley actually reduced, whereas the spring crop area increased by 3.9% as producers switch to spring crops to help with weed (black grass) control. Oilseed rape production has also fallen significantly. A combination of a lower planted area and a poor yield has resulted in a decline in production of 30.4% compared with 2015. Poor economic conditions at planting last autumn, coupled with the lack of pest and disease control options are the main reason for the drop in area. This trend is likely to continue for the current year, but the increase in oilseed price and consequent improvement in margins, is likely to limit the fall. The sugar beet crop shows a further drop in plantings. The new contracts offered for this season will probably see an increase for 2017 but it is unlikely to recover to its ‘traditional’ area of circa 120,000 Ha. Improved potato prices, particularly as planting commenced, probably contributed to an increase in the planted area this year. The effect of Greening continues to be seen in the crop area figures. Both beans and peas show further increases as they are used to satisfy both the Crop Diversification and EFA requirements. It remains to be seen if this still remains the case if the ban on pesticides on all EFA land is brought into force for 2018. The increase in fallow area can also be linked to the new rules under the BPS. Full crop area figures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farming-statistics-provisional-crop-areas-and-livestock-populations-at-june-2016-united-kingdom The first statistical indications of plantings for next year will come next month with the publication of the AHDB’s ‘Early Bird’ Survey.
