France may expand winter barley area as rapeseed planting declines

French farmers may increase winter barley area for the 2027 crop at the expense of rapeseed. According to Argus, EU rapeseed area could fall by around 5% y/y due to dry soils and difficult fieldwork conditions.

France is expected to see one of the sharpest declines in rapeseed area. If dry weather persists, some fields could remain unplanted until the end of the optimal sowing window, prompting farmers to switch to other crops, including winter barley.

If weather conditions improve, EU winter barley area for the 2027 crop could rise to 5.42 mln ha from 5.30 mln ha a year earlier, the highest level in at least 15 years. In France, area is projected at around 1.4 mln ha, the highest since 2016/17.

However, price signals have become less supportive for barley in recent weeks. While feed barley in Rouen traded at only a €5–10/t discount to wheat in spring, the gap has now widened to around €18/t, which could limit farmers’ willingness to expand plantings.

Additional support for barley demand in 2027 could come from a weaker corn crop in France. Market participants expect domestic corn supplies could tighten before the next harvest arrives, potentially boosting demand for barley from the livestock sector in June-July next year.

Tags: winter barley, France, rapeseed, sown area