Europe is poised for rain which will ease some of the fears prompted by a dry spell which is "causing havoc" with some rapeseed crops and endangering winter wheat in Ukraine.

Showers are forecast for the west of the continent on Monday, and continuing in northern Europe for much of the week.

The rain will help "replenish soil moisture for planting winter wheat", weather forecaster Meteorlogix said, easing a deficit caused by weeks without significant rainfall.

Potato damage 

In the UK, much of central and eastern England, and Northern Ireland, had less than one-third of normal rains in September.

France is "similarly dry", Hugh Schryver, a UK-based analyst with Glencore, said.

This is having some impact on late harvested crops. In the western county of Herefordshire, where Agrimoney.com is based, farmers are irrigating potato fields before lifting, to avoid potatoes being damaged by dry earth during lifting.

Threat to wheat

However, the main worry is for the crops being sown for harvesting next summer, with the dry weather "causing havoc" with emerging rapeseed seedlings, Mr Schryver said.

His comments were echoed by Agritel, the Paris-based consultancy, which highlighted that the dry weather was a particular concern for French and German rapeseed, but less so for Polish crops.

The lack of rainfall "could even affect wheat potential" if it lasts into mid-October.

Black Sea countries, where wheat is planted early to ensure it is well developed heading into winter, were already showing "some concern", Agritel said.

'A risk' 

Mr Schryver added that in Ukraine, "growers are concerned that they will not get enough moisture for the crop to develop sufficiently to be winter-hardy before the frost arrives".

Landkom, the Ukraine farming group, warned last week that "the continued dry summer remains a risk for Landkom and other farming operators".

Mr Schryver added: "The dry weather is a worry, but will not do anything to support the wheat market until we start to see some real damage."

November milling wheat closed up E0.50 lower at E123.50 a tonne in Paris.