The NATIONAL Farmers Union is calling on government to help build resilience in the farming industry to combat volatility, as its annual harvest survey showed mixed results across the arable sector.

Following a challenging year of extreme weather conditions and unpredictable prices, the varied results of this year’s harvest demonstrates the need for measures to be put in place to better manage volatility.

While the oilseed rape harvest fell in line with the five year average, spring barley saw a reduction in yield of approximately 10 per cent, marking its lowest yield since 2012.

Similarly, wheat yields reached 7.7 tonnes per hectare, falling below the five year average of 8.2 tonnes per hectare and hitting its lowest yield since 2013.

NFU combinable crops board chairman, Tom Bradshaw, says there are a number of reasons for the unpredictability.

He said: “The extreme weather events of this year have caused crop yields to become increasingly unpredictable.

"Despite our favourable climate and soil conditions, farmers have experienced an incredible amount of variation in this year’s harvest.

“With Brexit, the volatility of world commodity markets and the weather adding further uncertainty, farmers will be turning to the government for ways to build financial resilience into their businesses as farm payments are phased out over the next few years.

“It is essential that new domestic agriculture policy is supportive of resilience in the face of short-term localised shocks while driving long-term competitiveness.”