PARIS, July 31 (Reuters) - Crop consultancy Strategie Grains lowered its forecast for this year's oilseed harvests in the European Union by a total of over 1 million metric tons, mainly to take account of damage caused by scorching weather in several parts the bloc.
Brutally high temperatures in many EU member states and excessive rains elsewhere over the past few months have prompted several forecasters to reduce their outlook for the bloc's grain and oilseed crops this week.
In its latest monthly forecasts, Strategie Grains estimated the production of rapeseed, the EU's main oilseed crop, mainly used to make biodiesel and table oil, at 19.3 million metric tons this year, down from 19.8 million tons forecast early July and 20.4 million in early June.
This now put this year's rapeseed crop 0.7% below the 19.4 million tons harvested last year.
"Rapeseed yields are below expectations, especially in France and Germany," the French consultancy said in a monthly report.
"In Poland, the harvest was just starting at the end of July but here too, expected yields are revised lower this month in response to persistently dry conditions across much of the country, especially the north," it said.
Meanwhile, bad weather was disrupting harvest and affecting rapeseed yield potentials in Denmark, it said.
In sunflower, a summer crop still to be harvested, Strategie Grains cut its outlook for this year's harvest to 10.5 million tons from 10.9 million tons earlier, still 13% above 2022.
"For soybean and sunseed, the risks of drought stress are high and have already affected crops, notably in Bulgaria, eastern Romania, Slovakia, and Italy," it said.
The consultancy lowered its monthly soybean production forecast by 140,000 tons to 2.9 million tons, still 15.5% above 2022. (Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide Editing by Marguerita Choy)
