Frost and drought take toll on European cereal crops

Analysts at Strategie Grains have dramatically cut European cereal forecasts because of the impact hard frost and drought have had on crops.

They yesterday chopped their harvest expectations by 5.5million tonnes to 282.8mllion.

Wheat bore the brunt of that with a 4.3million tonne reduction to 126.8million. That's 2.3million below the 2011 crop. France and Germany are each expected to see wheat production fall by 1.3million tonnes.