SCOTLAND‘S HARVEST could be the worst for 20 years, with oilseed rape in many areas a complete wipe out, according to grain traders.

Dalgety‘s David Graham, based in Dundee, said it was not yet possible to predict cereal prices, mainly because harvest was so late and slow.

“For many people it‘s a salvage operation now,” he said. “It‘s as bad a harvest as we‘ve seen since the very wet year we had in Scotland in 1985.”

Quality anywhere south of Dundee was suffering, with crops splitting and sprouting, Mr Graham added.

And he reckoned that as much as 15% of Scotland‘s oilseed rape crop had been abandoned as unsalvageable.

“People have given up and are ploughing the rape fields now for winter cereals.”

Roger Baird, director of East Lothian-based WN Lindsay, said 40% of oilseed rape in the store was good and crushable.

There was no indication of price for malting barley yet, he said.

Although good quality Scottish barley would still be in demand from the maltsters, they had yet to make their move, he said.