A harvest survey being conducted by the National Farmers’ Union has revealed the cost of this year’s late frosts, persistent wet weather and cool summer temperatures

The annual survey of combinable crops, compiled by the NFU from members’ data, is the first source of published data on production levels in the UK; it is published up to a month before Defra’s official statistics. This year, the anecdotal evidence points to highly variable results.

The survey has revealed the effect the wet summer has had on cereals and oilseeds, but also shown that higher winter crop areas and lower planting of spring crops appear to have been successful.

NFU chief combinable crops adviser Guy Gagen said the survey is available to complete online and urged union members to do so. NFU said it believes its survey will provide “as full a picture as possible of the wheat crop in England by mid-September and the year’s harvest to date by early October.”