THE GERMAN harvest has again been delayed by frequent rainfall. While most of the winter barley has been cut, some still remains in the north.

About 40-50% of spring barley and 15% of wheat have been harvested. Wheat yields are varying widely (7-9t/ha), and lower grain quality is being reported.

Rain in the north has also disrupted the wheat harvest in France. More rain is expected.

The Hungarian harvest is almost complete, and the average wheat yield is 4.6t/ha. The total harvest is estimated at about 5m tonnes, 0.9m tonnes lower than last year’s record. The Ministry of Agriculture says the ratio of milling wheat to feed will be significantly lower than usual at only 50%.

The Polish cereal harvest has been delayed by heavy rain, with less than 5% of the wheat crop cut. The bad weather has led to lower yield forecasts than last year.

Bulgaria’s average wheat yield is 3.4t/ha after 30,000ha were damaged by storms and floods. The heavy rains are expected to reduce grain output by up to 20%.

In the Czech Republic, the winter barley harvest is nearing completion, with 95% cut. About 10-15% of wheat and spring barley has been harvested. Winter barley yield is higher than usual at 4.56t/ha.