UK: The quality of some of the remaining potential malting barley in farm stores could be damaged

Concern that the quality of some of the remaining potential malting barley in farm stores could be deteriorating has been played down, though growers are being advised to keep a close eye on any grain yet to be delivered, Farmers Weekly Interactive posted on January 08.

With supplies of good quality malting barley tight and getting tighter, according to Gleadell's Stuart Shand, growers with unsold barley should think about selling it as soon as possible to avoid deterioration.

Last season's unusual growing conditions seemed to have affected germination, even in crops harvested in good conditions, he warned."We are getting a lot of rejections, mainly for germination."

Growers hanging on for better premiums, already high, could end up disappointed if their crops slipped below the 98% required for malting, he said.

But Glencore's Nick Oakhill believed most problems occurred earlier in grain stored warm at high moistures."Some growers never had the opportunity to cool it."

Dormancy in winter varieties did seem higher than usual, he acknowledged, perhaps reflecting the odd season. "But most of the malting crop has already gone."

Greencore Malt's Adrian Dyter anticipated that most grain left on farms was in the hands of good growers. There was some dormancy in winter barley, the first time the industry has experienced it for quite a long time. "It just means we have to store it a bit longer. We don't use huge amounts of winter barley."

Despite signs that germination levels in spring barley seed were beginning to fall, there should be no unusual problems with this season's stocks, said Masstock's Barry Barker. The minimum standard for certified seed, 85%, was much lower than that for malting.

If seed germination was likely to be a problem there would have been calls for a derogation in the standard, said the HGCA's Jim McVittie."I've not heard of any requests yet," he said.

09 January, 2008