AF procures around £50 million worth of crop protection products annually. Alfie Jackson, AF Crop Protection Procurement Manager, explains how this year’s weather and market shifts have shaped what Members are buying.
“This year, the number one topic of conversation for farmers has been the dry weather. It affects not just crop yield, but also growth and how diseases spread.
“In a wet spring, septoria is usually the biggest challenge for cereal growers. This year however, dry conditions have made yellow rust the primary concern.
Yellow rust has been a concern for cereal growers this year
“Some good news for farmers is that products used to treat yellow rust are cheaper than those for septoria. So this spring’s dry weather has resulted in significant cost savings on crop protection. AF Members’ orders reflect this.
“We’ve procured over 250% more of the products used to treat yellow rust compared to last year. Thanks to careful planning and forecasting with our distributors and partners, we kept up with supply despite the vast increase in demand.”
“Across 2025, we’ve seen a general deflation in prices compared with 2024. This is especially evident in the open market for generic products where we’ve seen roughly 9% deflation year on year."
“As AF Members use us to procure products for them at best value, and due to the low disease pressure this year, the demand for generic products over ‘r & d’ alternatives has been strong. On the back of this, we've seen some large price reductions on premium products this year."
“Unfortunately though, most of this year’s crop protection savings have been offset by the reduction in yields caused by the drought across large areas of England.”
Alfie Jackson, AF Crop Protection Procurement Manager
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