This snapshot taken on 05/11/2008, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.

Farming

Farming: crops

cereal crops in field

The crops section of the site provides links to information and guidance on a range of topics relevant to the arable sector, including the crops grown in the UK, plant health, seeds and varieties, GM crops and industrial crops.

This section also provides details on the EU regimes covering cereals, rice, fodder and sugar.

Focus: Industrial crops

Industrial crops cover crops grown for non-food purposes. These form the basis of some renewable energies and fuels. They can also be put to a range of novel uses in industry, from construction to clothing. For further details see the industrial crops section.

crops

Latest news

The following topics are covered within the crops section of the website::

  • Arable Crops (below)
    This section describes the main crops grown in the UK and their main uses.
  • Plant health
    This section covers the controls and restrictions that are in place to prevent diseases becoming established which might cause serious damage to crops.
    Further information on specific crop diseases, and Defra’s plant health strategy, can be found in the Plant & Seeds section of the site.
  • Varieties and seeds
    This section highlights the key issues surrounding plant breeders’ rights, the national listings, and seed varieties and use.
  • GM crops
    A summary of the the main issues surrounding the GM debate, GM legislation , and the current UK position on GM.
  • EU Regime and legislation
    These pages describe the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) regime for cereals and rice, fodder and sugar crops.
  • Industrial crops
    Information about the opportunities for industrial or non-food use of crops. See also National Non-Food Crop Centre website and the Biomass Study Task Force pages.

CAP reform - Single Payment Scheme

Under the reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy the Single Payment System replaces eleven CAP payment schemes covering both the livestock and arable sectors, with one new single payment. The schemes replaced include the Arable Area Payment scheme, the Seed Production Aid scheme and the Hops Income Aid..

Rural Payments Agency

The RPA, an Executive Agency of Defra, is the single paying agency responsible for CAP schemes in England and certain schemes throughout the UK. For information relating to payment including forms (and guidance for the forms) for the Single Payment Scheme, please refer to the RPA's website.

Arable crops grown in the UK

The UK is the fourth largest producer of cereal and oilseed crops in the EU (after France, Germany and Poland) accounting for about 8% of total EU production. It is also the fifth largest producer of sugar beet (after France, Germany, Italy and Poland). For historical reasons dating back to the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement, the UK is the largest importer and refiner of cane sugar.

Within UK agriculture, arable crops account for about 16% of total output. Cereals (and/or oilseeds) are grown on around 70,000 holdings across the country, the majority in the eastern part of England, some in Scotland and a few in Wales and Northern Ireland. This accounts for about 70% of all cropping on agricultural land, though in terms of overall use, grass, rough grazing and forestry between them take around 75% of the total available area. Sugar beet production is limited to some 7,000 quota holders, effectively all in England only.

Wheat and barley are the most important cereal crops grown in the United Kingdom. Production of oats and rye has declined drastically whilst a new cross of rye and wheat, called triticale, has been introduced. All these cereals are well suited to the UK's temperate climate. The majority of cereals are sown in the autumn (called 'winter cereals' because the young plants have to survive the winter in the open fields) the rest being sown in the spring. Winter cereals give a higher yield because the plants are well established before the spring crop is even sown. The sugar beet crop is sown in March/April and harvested from September to December.

Wheat

Wheat is the most widely grown arable crop in the UK covering around 2 million hectares and producing about 15.5 million tonnes each year. Wheat is a versatile crop and is found in thousands of food products e.g. bread, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals.

Barley

Barley is grown on around 1.1 million hectares and produces an output of around 6 million tonnes. About 2 million tonnes are used in the production of malt, a key ingredient in beer and whisky. The balance is largely used in animal feeds.

Oil seed rape

The bright yellow flowers of oil seed rape cover 0.5 million hectares each year producing around 1.5 million tonnes of seed. The seed is crushed to extract oil used in the food and animal feed industries, with the residue being used as a high protein animal feed ingredient.

Oats

Oats represent around 3% of the total UK cereals area and are mostly sown in the autumn months. About half of the oat crop is milled and used for human consumption (e.g. breakfast cereals, cheese biscuits and haggis), the balance being used for animal feed.

Sugar beet

Around 9 million tonnes of sugar beet is grown on 150,000 hectares of land. The beet produces about 1.5 million tonnes of white sugar and the residues give 750,000 tonnes of animal feed.

Page last modified: 16 November 2006
Page published: 1 July 2006

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs