British wheat yields hit 23-year low despite increase in area planted

British wheat yields are at a 23-year low, triggering a fall in production despite a slight rise in planted area, Britain’s farm ministry said.

It estimated this year’s wheat crop was 13.31m tonnes, down 12.8% from the prior season’s 15.26m as yields fell to the lowest since 1989.

“Yields have been affected by the poor weather this year which led to high levels of disease during spring and summer along with low sunlight levels during the grainfill period,” the ministry said.

British wheat area rose 1.2% to 1.99mn hectares while yields fell 13.8% to 6.7 tonnes per hectare, the UK authorities’ figures showed.

The ministry’s wheat crop estimate was marginally above the 13.25m tonnes indicated by a survey issued last week by the National Farmers Union, which also put the yield at 6.7 tonnes.

Rapeseed production fell to 2.56m tonnes, down 7.0% from last season’s record 2.76m as yields fell 13.3% to 3.4 tonnes per hectare. The area devoted to rapeseed rose 7.2% to 755,000 hectares.

“Yields have suffered in comparison to the very high yields of 2011, primarily as a result of wind and rain flattening the crop in the run up to the harvest, and low sunlight levels during pod fill,” said the ministry.

Barley production edged up 0.6% to 5.53m tonnes as winter barley output climbed 12.4% to 2.47m but spring barley fell 7.2% to 3.06m.

Yields on barley fell 2.7% to 5.5 tonnes per hectare but area increased by 3.5% to 1m hectares.