This year, HGCA’s annual winter planting survey includes questions designed to gauge the impact of neonicotinoid restrictions on oilseed rape.

Around 3,500 arable farmers will receive the winter planting survey during the next two weeks, which will provide an estimate of the area of cereal and oilseed rape planting by 1 December 2014 in England and Wales.

Four questions have been added to the survey to help assess the impact of the neonicotinoid restrictions on oilseed rape planting and cabbage stem flea beetle damage. HGCA is continuing to gather evidence on the impact of these restrictions, complementing the snapshot assessment of adult CSFB damage published in September.

Caroline Nicholls, HGCA Research Manager, said: “With the results of this survey we will have a better picture of the impact of the neonicotinoid restrictions on the area of oilseed rape planted and also on the area of oilseed rape lost or replanted because of adult CSFB damage.

“I would urge growers to complete the survey to help HGCA build an evidence base on the impact of the restriction on farm.”

The aggregated results of the planting survey will be available online at hgca.com/markets from early March 2015. By publishing the results of the survey of planting areas, HGCA aims to assist the marketing decisions made by levy payers.

Businesses selected for the survey are anonymised and form a representative sample, in order to build a UK-wide picture of plantings for harvest 2015.