UK harvest is one of the worst in 40 years

The UK's cereal and oilseed harvest has been ranked as one of the worst in modern history, with production levels dropping to their third lowest since 1984. This includes significant decreases in key crops such as wheat, barley, oats, and rapeseed, primarily due to last winter's record rainfall and storms. Only oats showed any growth. The situation has led to concerns about food security, exacerbated by the UK Food Security 2024 report, which warns of climate change and other factors threatening food production resilience. The government is called upon to support farmers in building adaptation and resilience to these challenges.

UK cereal and oilseed production has this year recorded its third worst harvest since modern records began in 1984, according to data published by the Department for Rural Affairs (Defra). Total production of key crops such as wheat, barley, oats and rapeseed has been drastically affected, with yields well below the average of the last five years. Among the most alarming data is wheat, whose harvest reached 11.1 Mt, 20% less than in 2023 due to an 11% reduction in the cultivated area and a 10% drop in yields. Barley production stood at 7.1 Mt, a slight increase of 1.8% compared to the previous year, reflecting a 24% drop in winter barley offset by an equivalent increase in spring barley. As for rapeseed, production fell by 32% to 824,000 t. Oats were the only crop to experience growth, up 8.6% from the previous year. These figures are largely attributed to last winter's record rainfall and storms, which prevented the proper sowing and management of winter crops. This adverse ...