The British wheat crop, on one of its main quality specifications, rate at its worst in at least 36 years, as the wettest summer in a century hurt crop development and slowed harvest.

The HGCA crop bureau, cautioning that "poor weather and disease pressure have impacted the quality of wheat", warned that "specifics weights are emerging as the main issue".

Specific weight, the weight of grain in a given volume, is one of the main quality tests, with thin and shrivelled grains seen as offering weak potential for flour, besides depleted feed value.

The bureau estimated the specific weight so far into harvest at 71.9 kilogrammes per hectolitres, down from 77.5kg per hectolitre last year.

A result at this level would also be the lowest on records going back to 1977.

And in being based on results from early-harvesting southern districts, which grow largely milling wheat, the figure might potentially decline further as it reaches feed-wheat-growing regions further north and west, where harvest delays have been more severe.

'Experimenting with what is usable'

"The figures are from the harvest to August 29, so cannot reflect some of the difficulties currently being experienced in certain areas of the country," the HGCA said, adding that some wheat had tested as low as 54kg per hectolitre.

With millers typically requesting wheat testing at 76kg per hectolitre or more, the poor quality of the harvest has prompted some to drop their specifications to ensure supplies, as Agrimoney.com revealed on Thursday, besides raising imports from countries such as Denmark, France and Germany.

"With the UK harvest far from over, specific weight seems to be the main quality issue, leaving most domestic users reviewing their intake criteria, "Jonathan Lane, trading manager at merchant Gleadell said.

A rival merchant said that "millers, and to a certain extent, the feed consumers, are still experimenting with what is usable and what is not".

Milling premiums

Openfield, the UK co-operative, said that "there has been some discussion in the milling and baking community about the 'functionality' of the new crop samples, but it remains early days.

"UK millers have proved very adept in the past at using whatever local supplies are available."

Milling wheat premiums, while rising to some £30 a tonne, are now "capped by the availability of other northern European origins where quality does not appear to be an issue".