DEFRA June Agricultural Survey

Defra are out today with the results of their June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture.

The report pegs the UK wheat area for the 2009 harvest at 1.679 million hectares, down 13.2% on the 1.935 million ha planted in 2008.

By contrast the total barley area is up 16.1% to 771,600 hectares, principally due to a large increase in spring plantings after last year's disastrous back-end. Spring barley area accounts for 424,400 hectares this year, up a third on the 319,000 ha planted in 2008.

Other significant changes come from spring OSR plantings up 177% to 44,300 ha, linseed area up 91.7% to 30,800 ha, field beans up 59.9% to 182,800 ha and peas (for harvesting dry) up 55.1% to 44,100 ha.

Total cattle and calf numbers were broadly unchanged, pig numbers were down 1.4% and sheep & lambs down 4.6%. There won't be any figures available on poultry numbers until November.