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There has been a marked loss in oilseed rape crop (OSR) planted areas in the UK, a survey suggests.

The European Union (EU) controversially banned use of neonicotinoids – an insecticide used to coat oilseed rape seeds to protect them from cabbage stem flea beetle damage – in the teeth of opposition from farmers’ groups.Poor establishment and in some regions a lack of moisture has also hindered germination.

The Kleffmann Group study shows wide regional variations in the UK winter crop, with the eastern region losing 7.29%, but some parts of the country sustaining far greater falls.

The Kleffmann Group panel consists of 403 UK rape growers and calculates an original planted area in autumn 2018 of 581,030 hectares of winter rape. (The AHDB early bird survey is consistent with this figure at 582,000 hectares) However, 68 farmers have reported failed crops amounting to 6.28% of the total original planted area. This is 36,000 hectares lost. In the 2017/18 season, the percentage loss was just 1.62% so autumn 2018 has been much more hostile to rape survival by a factor of nearly 4 times.

The farmer survey has identified different proportions of hybrid and conventional variety adoption over a number of years. For the first time in many recent years it appears that there is nearly a 50:50 proportion between hybrids and conventional rape varieties being sown on farm (285, 000 hectares of conventional varieties and 294,000 of hybrid varieties).

The survey shows a clear difference in failed crops by breeding method. In conventional varieties the area lost was 7.52% (21,000ha) of the area planted and of the restored hybrid varieties 5.16% of the crop planted (15,000ha) were lost.

Significant regional differences were also noted; Scotland, for example, had the lowest area of oilseed rape lost at just 0.91% of the original planted area, closely followed by the North East Region at 1.36%. The South East Region had the highest area of failed crop at 12.60%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber Region at 9.75%. Between these extremes are the remaining regions; East Midlands suffered 3.5% loss, South West 4.34%, West Midlands (5.34%) and Eastern (7.29%).