EU: Barley harvest progressing in hot and dry weather in Europe

In hot and dry weather EU barley harvest progress moves fast from south to north, south is finished, centre well advanced and north beginning, H. M. Gauger GmbH reported earlier in August.

Spanish sources report a production of 6.6 – 6.9 mln tonnes of barley versus 9 mln tonnes in 2021. Italy’s barley crop will drop off from the usual 1 mln tonnes too, local sources said.

The French spring barley crop totals 3.4 mln tonnes including the autumn-planted spring barley varieties. The latest harvest report was 92% finished, so it may be 100% now. Yields are below average in most of France, even much lower in the Grand Est. Proteins are 10-11% in the whole northeast, but too high in Burgundy and the East. Screenings and moisture are perfect, except for the southwest.

Germany’s harvest is far advanced. Yields and qualities vary much from region to region, e.g. south and north report very good results, east and southwest rather poor numbers. All over the country yields range from 4 to 7 tonnes per ha, proteins from 8 to 12.5%. The DRV forecasts a crop of 1.85 mln tonnes of spring barley, hopefully for a malting selection of 1.2 mln tonnes.

Denmark and South Sweden are just starting harvest works, yield and quality prospects are really good.

In the UK the winter barley harvest is complete. Quality is fine in England, proteins are too high in Scotland, the share of maltable barley will be somewhat higher than last year’s 250 thousand tonnes. It is consumed domestically. The spring barley crop has moved from South and East England (65-80% done) to the north (25%) and Scotland, where harvesting is just beginning. There are exceptions of dry pockets and poor harvest results, but in general yields, grain size, proteins and moisture are very good. England counts on an export surplus of 500 thousand tonnes of malting barley.

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