Barley centennial

A huge archive of agricultural data, released today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician, reveals that barley production in Scotland has increased tenfold over the past 100 years.

Production has gone from about 190,000 tonnes in 1914 to more than two million tonnes this year.

And people across the world toasting the New Year with a wee dram can thank Scottish farmers for keeping whisky cabinets well-stocked – as barley is a key ingredient in iconic Scotch Whisky.

Today’s figures indicate that the total area of barley planted has quadrupled over the last century – going from around 80,000 hectares to more than 325,000 ha, and yields per hectare have also increased – more than doubling from 2.4 tonnes per hectare to 6.3 per ha.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“It’s extremely encouraging to see that barley production is continuing to increase. Barley is a strong crop in Scotland, favoured by the brewing and distilling industries, with a substantial amount – 600,000 tonnes – being used by them last year. That’s 30 per cent of the overall amount of barley produced in 2013.

“Over the last 20 years, the barley area has represented around 70 per cent of the area of all cereals grown in Scotland, and around half of all crops.

“Figures released today show a production increase of more than 1000 per cent since 1914, the area planted has increased by 316 per cent, and the yield per hectare has gone up by 178 per cent.

“Scotch Whisky is one of our most iconic products and I’m extremely grateful to the hard work Scottish farmers put in to growing one of its key ingredients.

“We export Scotch Whisky to 173 countries, from the United States – which has more than doubled its spend on our national drink – Brazil and China, to Bermuda, Papua New Guinea and the Vatican City. As we enter the Year of Food and Drink, this just exemplifies how important our whisky production is not only to the Scottish economy, but to our deserved reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.”