Why do we grow so much rapeseed in this country these day?

Question

yet we have to buy corn from abroad to feed our cattle - would we not be better off being more self-sufficient, by growing what we need first then filling our fields with other crops

Answer 1

cant grow grain everywhere, and not every year, need to do some crop rotation. also goes on what they guess will sell well that year, and on gov. grants. we will see much more wheat this year.

Answer 2

The climate in Britain is not warm enough to grow corn - if by corn you mean maize.  For the last 20 years or so the EU has restricted the amount of grain that farmers can grow but has paid a subsidy to farmers to encourage them to grow oil crops like rape and linseed.  Rapeseed is crushed to produce rapeseed oil that is used for many purposes, the residual press cake is then used for cattle feed and the rape straw is chopped and used instead of wood shavings by livestock farmers and horse owners.  In any case, there are very few cattle left in the UK since the supermarkets are importing milk from Europe and beef from South America under the pretence that its British.

By the way, Canola oil comes from Canola seed - that's Canadian varieties of Rape.  Most Rape grown in the UK is European mainly German in origin.

Answer 3

Rapeseed is a good early crop it can be pressed to produce excellent cooking oil and biofuel.  The leftover pulp can be processed into animal feed.  I run my car on recycled rapeseed oil which my neighbour gives me from his restaurant.  There is a good return on rapeseed for farmers.

Answer 4

Since Rape Oil is tough to sell, when rapeseed is compressed you get canola oil.  Canola oil is in high demand.

Answer 5

This site tells you all about rapeseed and why it is grown.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed

Answer 6

It's to make rapeseed oil.  The rest is crushed into a 'cake' which is cheap food for cattle in this country and contains various nutrients.

Edit - I guess the sweetcorn provides fibre.

Answer 7

the prducers get a higher price to grow rape seed than wheat so tell the truth what would you grow if you were them