And prospects are not any brighter in Scotland, reports Eddie Gillanders. The recent call from Douglas Reid, chairman of the cereals committee of the Scotch Whisky Association, for longer-term contracts to bring a measure of stability to the malting barley industry has been welcomed by Scottish cereal growers. But farmers are likely to vote with their feet by sowing less malting barley next spring unless Mr Reid's words are translated into action by Scotland's whisky industry. "We don't want to get to next June with crops in the ground and find we're going to lose 80 pound/t on every tonne we sell," said NFU Scotland arable crops committee chairman, John Picken.
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