Inside Grains & Commodities
Is rapeseed cultivation still going well in Europe?
After the rapeseed production was expanded considerably in the 80s, the acreage has now fallen sharply. In many large rapeseed-producing countries, yields have stagnated or even decreased in recent years, making cultivation less and less attractive. Rapeseed cultivation in Europe therefore faces many challenges.
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Choose the subscription that suits youFor many growers, the cultivation of rapeseed is becoming less and less profitable. Virus problems are increasing, while the use of crop protection products is being curtailed. In addition, the increasingly extreme weather conditions are also affecting growers. With this in mind, Cash Crop (in collaboration with external experts and the Thünen Institute) a report published on the challenges and prospects of oilseed rape production. Because there are plenty of them.
Decrease in area
In recent years, the area in the major rapeseed producing countries has decreased considerably. In the largest European rapeseed country: France, the area has remained fairly constant in recent years between 1,4 and 1,6 million hectares. However, a significant decrease is visible for 2019, because in that year the area will not exceed 1,1 million hectares. The area has also shrunk considerably in Germany: from 1,47 million hectares in 2013 to 1,23 million hectares in 2018. And between 2018 and 2019, this decrease is even more extreme, because in the 2019 season the area only amounted to 856.800 hectares.
The rapeseed area in the Netherlands has also decreased significantly in recent years, although cultivation here has never been very large. Certainly not compared to countries such as France, Germany, Poland (850.000 hectares) and the United Kingdom (406.000 hectares). Since 2013, when the area was about 3.500 hectares, it is acreage shrunk to 1.840 hectares in 2019.
It is striking that the rapeseed area outside Europe has actually increased. In Canada, the world's largest producer and exporter of rapeseed, the area has increased by 1 million hectares in recent years to approximately 9 million hectares. Rapeseed cultivation has also increased somewhat in Australia: from an average of 2 million hectares in 2011 to a stable 2,75 million hectares in 2017 and 2018. However, although the area outside the European Union is increasing, the number of tonnes per hectare in Europe remains clear. above the level of Canada and Australia. In Europe, an average of 3 tons per hectare comes from the land, while in Canada and Australia this is only 2 tons per hectare.
Increase in virus, limitation in crop protection
One of the biggest challenges facing rapeseed cultivation is the increase in insect-borne viruses combined with the growing number of crop protection restrictions. Since the ban on neonicotinoids, the insect population has increased significantly in most 'hotspots' for rapeseed cultivation. Particularly in the United Kingdom and parts of northern Germany, growers are struggling with this, causing yields to be below average. The development of resistant varieties is and will remain important in Europe, although it remains to be seen whether the yields will be profitable.
The above plays a less important role in Australia and Canada. Although there is also an increase in the insect population, the researchers indicate that in these countries there are more opportunities to suppress the spread of viruses and diseases in rapeseed fields through crop protection. Yet there is fear, because the pressure for a neonics ban is also increasing here. If certain crop protection is no longer possible in Canada, this could have a major impact on rapeseed production. Especially in view of the popularity of the crop and the tight cultivation rotations.
Crop rotation must be different
A tight crop rotation is something that oilseed rape growers should avoid, according to the research report. Experts recommend changing the crop rotation in the long term to make rapeseed cultivation more profitable. Currently, rapeseed is grown every 2 or 3 years, but the expectation is that this will eventually become every 5 to 6 years. French experiences show that this can have advantages. In France, the crop rotation has been wider and more diverse for years than in other European countries and data show that the problem with viruses and diseases in oilseed rape is less here.
According to the experts, there is another advantage to broadening the crop rotation. It enables arable farmers to implement better weed control strategies. The early sowing dates for winter oilseed rape mean that there is currently little or no time to combat weeds, which means that the next (grain) crop has a higher weed load. “By broadening the rotation, strategies can be better implemented,” the researchers note in the report.
Looking for alternatives
The search for alternatives is not easy. Analysis shows that replacement crops perform even worse economically in Europe. It easily means a loss of €100 to €150 per hectare. In other words, rapeseed yields must be more than 20% below the average for the years 2016 to 2018 for the crop to be the next best alternative.
It is striking that this is again the opposite in Canada and Australia. There, alternative crops (for example the cultivation of peas) already yield more when the rapeseed yield is about 10% below the average of the last 3 years. It is therefore expected that European rapeseed cultivation will continue to face more than enough challenges in the coming years. As a result, the area will also decrease further.