Quality, marketing and research needs in the UK oats crop

Abstract

This review summarises information obtained from literature, discussions, and a market survey on quality measurement and communication in the UK oats market.

The total UK oats market is relatively small at only 500,000 tonnes. There are differences in the quality requirements of the following sectors of the market: producers; millers and food manufacturers; animal feed compounders; and animal feed compounders for horse feeds. There is a relative lack of communication between the four sectors of the market.

There is a need to develop a grading system which will enable the market to allocate the correct qualities of crop, at the correct prices, to the correct sector. This could lead to the development of price premiums for oats of superior quality