Britain’s rapeseed area seen at 13-year low

Britain’s rapeseed area for the 2017 harvest is forecast to fall to a 13-year low while wheat sowings are seen marginally lower, according to a survey issued by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

The survey, conducted by The Andersons Centre, put Britain’s rapeseed area at 1,376,400 acres, down four percent from the prior season as problems with cabbage stem flea beetles curb plantings in the east of England.
“In the east there is a dramatic decrease (down 28 percent) due to flea beetle difficulties and a lack of moisture making establishment very difficult,” farm consultants The Andersons Centre said in a note issued with the survey results.

“Many areas have been written off and either sown with second wheat or destined for spring barley,” the note said, adding, however, that rapeseed sowings had risen in areas such as the West Midlands, the south of England and Scotland.

Wheat area was seen down one percent at 4.45 million acres, partly reflecting problems in controlling black grass, a weed that is now found on about 60 percent of arable land.
“Despite good drilling conditions, grass-weed challenges are placing a limit on the winter wheat area for most farms,” the note said.

The winter barley area was forecast to fall nine percent by 981,000 acres with spring barley sowing seen 17 percent higher at 1.974 million acres.