DOOM-mongers predicting financial ruin for crop farmers appear to have been proved wrong by NFU estimates for this year's harvest.

The National Farmer's Union believes that harvest figures for wheat and barley will be higher than the bone-dry harvest in 2003, and others report it has been a bumper year for apples.

The average wheat yield in the West Midlands this year is 8.4 tons per hectare, compared to 7.9 tons countrywide.

In August, after torrential downpours, the Government adviser for rural affairs, Lord Haskins, made the gloomy prediction that bad weather could invoke a disaster to rival the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis.

But thanks to a dry spell at the beginning of September, farmers were able to quickly gather the remainder of their crops.

Peter Barker, who owns and runs the Tiltridge Vineyard, near Upton-upon-Severn with his wife, Sandy, said their initial worries had been laid to rest, and they were expecting to have a good crop this year.

"Despite the rain the harvest has finished quite successfully.

"There has been a bit of rot, because of the warm, wet weather conditions but we are expecting the quality to still be there," said Mr Barker.

Ivor Dunkerton, partner at Dunkertons organic cider and perry makers in Pembridge, Leominster, said their apple crops were actually of a good quality this year.

"They are slightly larger because of the rain we had and the sugar content is a bit low but the juice is there," he said.

NFU vice president, Meurig Raymond, praised the industry for making the best from a bad situation.