Growers are being urged to check whether Concerto spring barley will be accepted for malting by their grain buyer.
The plea comes after drinks giant Diageo – a major purchaser of malting barley in Scotland – removed the variety from its list for 2021.
A spokesman for Diageo said: “We source a number of varieties of barley for malting.
“We have been moving away from Concerto for some time because other varieties perform better and provide a higher yield, which means that Concerto is not on the recommended list for 2021.”
North-east farmers’ co-operative Aberdeen Grain, which is based near Newmachar, is in the process of contacting all its members to alert them of Diageo’s decision.
Aberdeen Grain chairman, George Davidson, told members at the co-op’s virtual annual meeting that, although a concern, it should affect a small number of growers.
NFU Scotland’s policy manager, Peter Loggie, said: “We understand that merchants have been told that Diageo will be contracting this year for the varieties Laureate, Sassy and Diablo.
“Growers planning to include Concerto in their spring barley plans may need to contact their merchants to assess likely demand from other maltsters for the variety in 2021.”