Scottish harvest held back as storms hit ground conditions

Producers stay optimistic as yields reported to be ‘average or above’

Harvesting is on hold across the country as crops dry out after taking a battering from heavy wind and rain.

The combines were in full swing across swathes of spring barley crops in Moray, Perthshire and Angus when the storms hit, with around 20% of the acreage now estimated to be cut, whereas further south in East Lothian harvest is barely under way.

In terms of quality, Robin Barron, general manager of the East of Scotland Farmers co-operative, reports low nitrogens and screenings and no serious issues with either germination or skinning.

“There seems to have been very few rejections, and yields are average or even above average in some cases,” he said.

In the Laurencekirk area, Scottish Quality Crops chairman Andrew Moir said yields are reasonable but quality is very variable, with some high nitrogen levels

He said: “We’re hoping to crack on again in a couple of days, but ground conditions are very wet and getting machinery on the land is going to make a mess, whether it’s for baling straw or getting next year’s crops in the ground.”

However, it is still early days, and the farmers’ union’s combinable crops committee chairman Willie Thomson, who farms in East Lothian, is optimistic about reports of good malting barley quality.

“Given how important this crop is to Scotland, as the mainstay of our whisky industry, this will be a big relief to many.

“The last thing we need is 2020 giving us a kick in the shins over malting barley,” he said.

Combines are having to dodge the unsettled weather this harvest season.