LONDON, ENGLAND — England’s wheat production this year is estimated at 12.81 million tonnes, down 10% from the previous season on lower planted area and yields, Britain’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said.

In its first provisional cereal and oilseed production estimates for 2023 on Oct. 12, the department said all regions of England saw decreased wheat production. The area planted to wheat saw a decrease of 5.3% to 1.58 million hectares while yield is expected to fall 5.2% to 8.1 tonnes per hectare.

“The unseasonably wet and windy weather hindered the start of the harvest, with further disruption throughout August due to localized showers and heavy downpours, with progress varying regionally,” the department said. “Whilst conditions were milder in September, some regions still had lengthy periods of wet weather.”

The decrease in wheat planted area was ascribed to farmers possibly favoring barley and oilseed, which both saw increases in area in 2023, of 2.2% to 799,000 hectares and 6.1% to 342,000 hectares respectively. The oats area decreased 4.2% from 140,000 hectares to 134,00 hectares.

The provisional estimate of the 2023 English barley harvest is 4.8 million tonnes, a decrease of 5.8% from 2022. A 13% decrease in spring barley production was partly offset by a modest increase in winter barley, rising by 0.9%. Overall yields for both winter and spring barley decreased by 4% and 13%, respectively.

In 2023, oats production is estimated to have fallen by 18% to 651,000 tonnes from the previous year, and the overall yield decreased by 15% to 4.9 tonnes/hectare. 

Rape oilseed production decreased by 14% to 1 million tonnes this year, the estimate shows. Despite an increase in area, the fall in production was driven by a 19% decrease in yield.