Good weather has driven a burst of activity on land which is now creating some pressure on seed supplies.

It is really only this week that spring barley planting has got under way in earnest, as land in many parts of the country was slow to dry out.

Overall spring seed supply was tightened by lower crop yields and the prolonged bad weather last harvest.

This led to significant rejection of seed for certification at intake but the impact of weathering had further consequences.

Rejected

An amount of seed was subsequently rejected post storage due to inadequate germination level. This affected all crops, but some more than others, and these losses have tightened supplies.

The majority of spring beans and wheat now appear to be planted.

Reports indicate that virtually all the beans have been planted but there are still small quantities about.

Spring wheat is even tighter and this has now all gone from assemblers. Most or all of it is actually in the ground.

Certified seed availability for the varieties in most demand by growers is now very tight or unavailable.

However, there is still plenty seed available for now, but it could be very tight by the end of the planting season.