CropTec Show: Black-grass woes boost soya production
Farmers were looking for an alternative crop to tackle their blackgrass problem
Alex Black
Black-grass and bans on neonicotinoids would continue to drive farmers to look at soya as an alternative crop, as Soya UK looked to displace imports.
Speaking at CropTec, Soya UK director David McNaughton said there was about 20,000t of requirement for Hard IP soya which had been historically imported from Canada, which they were targeting to replace.
He said there was interest in replacing it with UK-sourced crop.
Crops
“We are producing non-genetically modified, fully traceable crops, which carries a premium,” said Mr McNaughton.
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Mr McNaughton said there were more farmers growing and area had increased from eight hectares five years ago to 3,237ha this year.
And he expected these numbers would continue to rise as farmers look to fight black-grass, as he believed there was probably no crop better for tackling it, alongside issues with neonicotinoids for competitor crops such as oilseed rape and linseeds.
“Another big advantage is chemicals. Whether by luck or design peas and beans have been losing choices. The choices in soya have been getting more and more,” he said.
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