EU-25 barley production for 2004/05 is estimated at 60.7 million tonnes from 13.4 million hectares, USDA revealed in its October Report. While the 4.53 tonnes/ha yield is a record, serious quality issues have been raised as harvest was disrupted or delayed by heavy rains in most northern countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, resulting in widespread quality reductions. Nevertheless, total EU barley production is the highest since 1998/99.

The EU’s largest barley producer, Germany is estimated to harvest 12.8 million tons, compared to 10.7 million harvested from last year’s weather-reduced crop. France is expected to harvest 11.0 million tons (9.8 million), Spain at 10.0 million tons (8.7 million), and the UK at 6.1 million tons (6.4 million).

24 October, 2004