Persistent Rains Hurt French Wheat Production, Push Prices To New EU Record - Reuters

[hatrack]

PARIS - Summer rains hampering the tail-end of Europe's wheat harvest have dented output and raised doubts over quality, accentuating a squeeze in global supplies that has propelled prices to record highs.

The wheat harvest for most Western members of the EU bloc is virtually over, but more rain is preventing German and British farmers from gathering the last of their crops. Freak summer weather, which has included dramatic swings from hot to cold in countries like Italy, has taken its toll on quality, with questions raised over how much of this season's wheat can qualify for human, rather than animal, consumption.

This, coupled with sharp downward revisions in particular for Eastern Europe's likely wheat production, will remain supportive for wheat prices which have, in Paris, rallied over 80 percent since early April.

"We will end up probably with a greater supply of feed wheat than milling wheat," said James Dunsterville, an analyst with Agrinews in Geneva.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43941/story.htm

[GliderGuider]

1. "Freak summer weather" == "Climate Chaos".

Floods and droughts, along with soil depletion, water depletion, and soon oil depletion...

"Mommy. what's "bread" and why don't we have any?"

[kestrel91316]

2. Well, this is just peachy.

[Nihil]

3. Serious question ...

> Freak summer weather, which has included dramatic swings from hot to cold
> in countries like Italy, has taken its toll on quality, with questions
> raised over how much of this season's wheat can qualify for human, rather
> than animal, consumption.

What is the difference between "human" quality and "animal" quality?

Is it to do with acceptable levels of toxins/pollutants? Grain size?

:shrug:

At what point will grain shortages result in the "adjustment" of such
"quality" categories and what would be the expected effect?
(i.e., what harm would come to humans if the "animal" quality wheat ended
up in the processing stream for humans?)

[hatrack]

4. It's about grain quality, concomitant quality of milled products

Moisture content, grain size, percentage of dockage, presence of molds, smuts, rusts and the like - lots of criteria for wheat quality (and for pretty much every other crop).

[Nihil]

5. Thanks ...

> Moisture content, grain size, percentage of dockage, presence of molds,
> smuts, rusts and the like - lots of criteria for wheat quality (and for
> pretty much every other crop).

Again, from my ignorance, the above sound largely superficial or even
artificial (justifying the price difference between different farm outputs)
rather than life-critical (with the possible exception of the mold/smut/rust
content in the case of seed grain).

Surely in harsher areas (e.g., parts of Africa), this corn would still be
eaten (by humans) rather than kept as "second-rate"? I wonder at what point
the same decision will be made for those in the lands of plenty (until now)?

:shrug: