British farmer opts for summer barley more often

The cultivation mix in Great Britain has changed significantly in the past 12 months, according to recently published figures from government agency Defra. It is becoming clear that fewer British arable farmers are opting for wheat, while spring barley is gaining in popularity.

The wheat acreage in England is at its lowest level since the 70s: 1,27 million hectares. It is a drop of 24% compared to the previous season. Strikingly, all regions in Great Britain have seen a decline in wheat acreage, although the northwest of the country predominates. A decrease of 36% has been reported in the region around Merseyside.

The rapeseed acreage must also undergo a significant decline. The acreage has decreased by 12% in the past 32 months to 331.000 hectares. The smaller acreage in combination with the harsh weather conditions means that the rapeseed harvest in the country is below the 5-year average. The fact that rapeseed is becoming less popular among arable farmers is not only visible in England. In the rest of Europe, cultivation is also becoming increasingly less profitable seen.

Significant increase in acreage of summer barley
In contrast, the acreage of spring barley shows an extremely sharp increase: +79% to 795.000 hectares. This means that summer barley makes up 76% of the total barley area, compared to 53% last year. Many of the British farmers who have opted to grow spring barley this season are expected to move away from winter production. The area of ​​winter barley has decreased by 35% to 253.000 hectares.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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