Scottish Agricultural Census: June 2019

Barley and wheat continue to dominate planted areas

Barley and wheat continue to be the dominant crops. Barley is 62 per cent of the total cereals while wheat is 23 per cent. Over the past year the total area increased by three per cent to 469,100 hectares.

The total area of cereals and oilseed rape planted in 2019 is below the ten-year average.

• Area of barley 290,900 ha
• Area of wheat 107,500 ha

Cereals have a strong association with the whisky industry. Both barley and wheat, the two biggest crops, are used to make whisky. 

Oil-seed rape is predominantly a winter grown crop, however its popularity decreased around the millennium. 

Other crops grown, such as rye and triticale are still minority crops. Rye has experienced a slight increase and is predominantly used in bio-fuels and specialised whiskies.