Guidance for buyers on reporting Corn Returns

Overview

Any company who has purchased cereals in excess of the 1,000 tonne threshold in any year ending 30 June requires a weekly return. It is an offence not to submit this form, which must state the amount in tonnes of UK grown cereals bought, broken down by type and the prices paid. The return must be submitted by the end of Friday and cover the previous week's trading ending on the Thursday.

Using this data, AHDB is obliged to publish a mean average price of each type of cereal on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. These requirements for weekly returns are covered by the the AHDB Order 2008 which replaces the Corn Returns Act 1882. All information in individual returns is treated as confidential.

Guidance notes

Weekly returns of "British corn" bought from the grower are required for every company who:

(a) Carries on a business consisting of or including the buying of British corn by wholesale from an area prescribed under the provisions of the above Act; and
(b) Buys British corn from the grower or his/her agent in the course of that business.

• "British corn" means wheat, barley, oats, rye and maize grown in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
• Bought means that there is a contract to buy whether made by sale-note or otherwise and irrespective of actual delivery in pursuance thereof.
• Cost means aggregate purchase price; the sum obtained by adding together the products of price per tonne and quantity bought under each contract.

The returns should:

• Cover the period of seven days ending Thursday, midnight;
• Include all purchases of British corn from growers only within a prescribed area. Do not include transactions in which you are only acting as an agent under which ownership does not pass to you. Do not include any contracts in which you are the second (or later) purchaser of the corn.

Where you purchase grain, from more than one prescribed area a separate return should be submitted in respect of each area. The return should be inputted on the AHDB Corn Returns Portal on the provided login, not later than end of day on the Friday following the end of the seven day period to which the return relates.

Delivery periods and types of purchase

Ex-farm Fixed Price Contracts

These only should be entered as follows:

• Current Month should include contracts where delivery is to take place at any time up to the end of the current month: i.e. the month in which the Thursday ending the week to which the return relates falls; they should not also be entered at the time of delivery;

Example: if the return relates to a week ending Thursday 1 November the current month will be November and all ex-farm fixed price contracts made during the week for delivery up to the end of November will be entered in the Current Month tab. If the return relates to a week ending Thursday 31 January the current month will be January;

• Curr +1 should include contracts where delivery takes place during the first month after the current month;
• Curr +2 should include contracts where delivery takes place during the second month after the current month;
• Curr +3 should include contracts where delivery takes place during the third month after the current month;
• Curr +4 should include contracts where delivery takes place after the end of the third month following the current month for this seasons' crops (i.e. crops harvested in the current July-June year), and next seasons' crops (i.e. crops harvested in the following July-June year).

Open price and quantity contracts

These should be included in the Other Purchases tab and should only be entered in the week in which the quantity is known. All contracts made on a delivered basis should also be included in the Other Purchases columns.

Note that purchases of crops which were harvested last calendar year or before, purchases of crops harvested in the current calendar year, and purchase of next calendar year's crop should be made in the respective columns.

Breadmaking wheat

This means wheat fulfilling the following criteria:

• In each July-June year a variety included in Group 1 of the most recent UK Flour Millers Wheat Guide
• Having a minimum Hagberg Falling Number of 250
• Having a protein content of at least 11% (at 14% moisture content)
• Having a minimum specific weight of 76kg per hectolitre

Other milling wheat

This means wheat intended for milling into flour but not meeting the criteria for breadmaking wheat above.

Feeding and other wheat

This means wheat intended for feeding to animals or wheat intended to be used for either distilling or a use other than seed or as flour.

Malting (premium) barley

This means barley bought for malting and fulfilling the following criteria:

• In each July-June year any variety with full approval on the Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain approved list, published the previous November;
• Having a minimum germinative capacity of 96%;
• Having a maximum nitrogen content (on a dry matter basis) of 1.75%; and
• Having a maximum screenings content of either: Basis 6% through a 2.25mm sieve or 10% through a 2.5mm sieve

Other malting barley

This means barley bought for malting other than malting (premium) barley.

Feed barley

This means barley intended for feeding to animals or barley intended for a use other than seed or malting.

Milling oats

This means oats intented for milling.

Feed oats

This means oats intended for feeding to animals or oats intended for a use other than seed or milling.

Publication

Average prices, weighted by tonnage, are published each week on a Monday for the previous week (Friday to Thursday). All quotes pass through a series of validation checks prior to publication to ensure data quality. Prices will only be published if certain thresholds are met.

Further information

If you need any further help, email the team at cereals.mi@ahdb.org.uk