Very little wheat is being traded so far this harvest, and with such large volumes having to be dried, harvest pressure hasn’t really taken hold, say traders.

“No-one can keep up with the drying on farm,” said Grainfarmers’ Mike Fowler. He reckoned about 40% of the crop was still in the field in Hampshire and Sussex.

Harvest was about finished in Kent, said Andrew Kier of T.Denne & Sons. “A lot was done over the weekend at the quality was still there.”

Most farmers had cut their Group 1 and 2 milling varieties, leaving the soft wheat and feed wheat to combine, said Shropshire Grain’s Julian Walker.

He estimated that the wheat harvest was 50% complete in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, with 70% done in Shropshire and 80% finished in Warwickshire.

“The later milling samples are mostly acceptable on Hagberg, but I haven’t seen a single sample of Group 3 wheat,” he said.