Harvest

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic left many farms that rely on seasonal labour during the summer struggling to find workers to harvest high value veg crops.

Reductions have been seen for UK wheat, barley and oilseed rape production in Defra’s final estimates for the 2020 crop, updating the provisional figures published in October.

British potato production is expected to be up 2.8 per cent on last year despite growers battling an exceptionally wet harvest period this year.

The 2020 season saw a wet autumn and winter, followed by a dry spring and a dull summer. Despite this, YEN estimated autumn sown crop potential of 18 tonnes per hectare this year.

Adding value to every acre and collaboration were key areas for farmers looking to future-proof their businesses ahead of the major changes coming down the track. 

GB potato lifting is coming to an end with an estimated 96 per cent of the harvest complete by November 10.