The acreage of wheat in England has fallen to its lowest level since 2000, as steep falls in market prices and high fertilizer costs discouraged farmers from planting.

The areas planted to all major cereal crops, bar field beans, fell in the year to December, official figures showed. The 82,000 hectares of oats drilled was 23% below that planted in the 2007-08 season.

While the fall in wheat acreage was smaller, at 14.1%, it will be seen as of far greater significance, given its importance to UK farmers and as a potential indicator of plantings elsewhere in Western Europe.

The 1.64m hectares of wheat planted by December was the lowest since the 1.27m drilled eight years before.

The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which published the data, said the decline in crop prices reflected "lower cereal prices, high fertilizer costs and bad weather".

A separate Defra report showed cereal prices received by UK farmers fell by 27% in the year to last December, with feed barley and some grades of milling wheat worst hit. Potato prices were 24% lower, with oil seed rape down 2.6%.

However, fertilizer costs more than doubled, with the price of nitrogen, up 127%, showing particular growth.