The improved quality of UK harvested wheat and barley crops this year could have implications for UK supply and demand balance with potentially less availability for millers, according to the HGCA’s latest cereals report. However, this compares to a poor season in 2008 and the results should also be placed in the context of large carry-over stocks of unclear quality, totalling around three million tonnes, it said.
Michael Archer, HGCA senior cereals and oilseeds analyst, explained: "Although quality has improved it must be remembered that this is in comparison to a very poor season in 2008." He told British Baker that the implications around supply and demand will mainly surround the availability of wheat and barley to millers, maltsters and exporters.
"We are potentially looking at a higher proportion of the crop meeting the quality requirements of millers," said Archer. "But even though it is a higher-quality crop, there is less of it."
The final results for wheat have shown a lower moisture content, higher Hagberg Falling Number, higher specific weight and higher protein compared to 2008. The barley results revealed a lower moisture content, higher nitrogen content and higher specific weight.
The survey was based on 61,000 samples of wheat and 30,000 samples of barley from laboratories around Britain.

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