Record year for cereal yield

The Chief Statistician has released figures on the 2022 Scottish harvest that show it was a record year for cereal yields. Total cereal yield is at a 20 year high, rising 14% to 7.6 tonnes per hectare in 2022.

Production increased by 10% from 2.9 million tonnes in 2021 to 3.1 million tonnes. Despite a small reduction in sown area, levels for cereal production are the highest since 2014.

Prolonged hot and dry conditions in spring and summer favoured a remarkably early finish and low moisture levels.

Above average yields in 2022 more than compensated for a small decrease in the overall sown area of cereals. This decrease was largely driven by reductions in spring barley and oats. The sown area of spring barley fell by 5% from 2021, yet high yields resulted in a 17% rise in production. Oats were the only crop to fall in production. A 20% decrease in the sown area of oats resulted in a 9% decrease in production compared to 2021.

Winter barley, wheat and oilseed rape saw increases in sown area. Coupled with the  best yields reported in the last 20 years, production for these crops exceeded the ten-year average. High yield, combined with a 7% increase in sown area resulted in record production for oilseed rape at 151 thousand tonnes.

Background

The full statistical publication is available with supporting data tables and a visual summary at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/cereal-and-oilseed-rape-harvest-2022-final-estimates

Results from ‘Cereal and oilseed rape harvest: final estimates – 2022’ are published today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. The full statistical publication provides estimates of land use area, yield and production for spring and winter barley, wheat, oats and oilseed rape for 2022. Estimates are based on harvest yields given by a panel of experts at a Crop Report Meeting and land use areas from Single Application Form returns.

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Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.