AHDB HGCA has updated the results of its Planting Survey, in line with changes to estimates for the spring-sown oilseed rape area.

The total UK oilseed rape area for harvest 2012 is now estimated to be 736k hectares, up 5 per cent on 2011 and a new record. This is the second consecutive year the crop has posted a record area as strong global oilseed prices has made OSR increasingly competitive against other break crops as well as cereals.

However, some view the record area as a pyrrhic victory for UK farming; critics claim oilseed rape can spark hayfever symptoms and the crop requires more chemical input than other cereals. Nevertheless, the yellow blooms are said to have attracted a large number of tourists from as far afield as Japan.

HGCA today said the record area for 2012 may not translate into record production as crops have been subjected to poor weather conditions in recent weeks. Against the GB trend, the Scottish OSR area is seen 6 per cent lower at 36k hectares, again driven by the poor autumn planting conditions. However, this is the same area as grown for harvest 2010.

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