Cereal and oilseed rape harvest: final estimates - 2017

6. Oats

The majority of oats grown in Scotland are used for milling and further processing for breakfast cereals, oatcakes, porridge oats and oatmeal for secondary processing outwith Scotland. The majority of the remainder is used as specialist feed for horses.

Oats Estimates (charts 13 and 14)

Oat production is estimated to have fallen by eight per cent this year due to a 12 per cent fall in average yield and a five per cent increase in area grown. 2016 had been an exceptional year, and the 2017 figure is still the third highest since the 1970s. Spring oats make up around two thirds of oat production.

This year's average yield is estimated at 5.7 tonnes per hectare, slightly below average for the last ten years, but applied to the highest area since 1989. The average yield for the last ten years is five per cent higher than the previous decade.

Chart 15 - Oats: Area, Yield and Production

Chart 16 - Oats Year-on-Year Change: Area, Yield and Production