THE GERMAN harvest is still being disrupted by rain, with the wheat harvest delayed by up to two weeks.

Winter barley has been completed, with yields ranging up to 30% lower than last year. Up to 50% of the wheat has been cut so far. Wheat yields have been as much as 40% lower than last year.

While some regions in the south have seen good quality, the persistent rainfall is expected to have damaged wheat quality overall, with a significant proportion of the crop now expected to be feed wheat.

The French wheat harvest has progressed well after heavy rains, although rain continues to delay combining in the north. So far quality reports have been mixed, with low specific weight but Hagbergs above 220.

In Hungary the wheat harvest is now complete, with total production at 4.98m tonnes (5.93m tonnes in 2004).

Wheat yields are average at 4.6t/ha, while barley yields are about 4t/ha (4.5t/ha in 2004). About half the wheat is expected to be feed, as overall quality is lower than last year due to wet weather.

After earlier delays due to rain, the cereal harvest is now in full swing in the Czech Republic, with winter barley almost complete, and wheat about 25% cut. Wheat yields are about 5.2t/ha, with quality lower due to the rains.

In the Ukraine, 28.5m tonnes of grain has been cut from 83% of the sown area. Of this, 18.1m tonnes is wheat, with an average yield of 3.1t/ha, and 8.5m tonnes is barley, with an average yield of 2.2t/ha.