Harvest in France has been a stop-start affair, with showers and thunderstorms keeping combines under wraps.

Cereal yields have generally been disappointing, but are proving better in the north, where the drought had less impact.

Oilseed rape yields in France have been better than expected, according to Jonathan Lane, trading manager at Gleadell Agriculture.

“And the very first cuts from the south east of the UK have been surprisingly good, given how bad the crops in these regions had looked through most of the season.

“There is a growing expectation amongst many in the trade now that the disastrous yields that were previously being forecast are not going to be realised and that production is perhaps going to be better than first feared.”

In Ukraine, wet weather was delaying harvest and affecting quality, according to analyst Agritel.

In Southern Ukraine, 90% of wheat harvested was classified as feed wheat, it said.

“Harvest should start soon in the regions of Kiev and Tcherkassy and operators fear that weather conditions might affect quality.”