Without profitability, sustainability is not achievable,” said Mr Matthews, who is also an AICC director. Instead, yield and profitability are primarily driven by management decisions made at a field and crop level. “In challenging seasons, yield potential can deteriorate very quickly, and the financial consequences of decisions made at the wrong time, or for the wrong reasons, have never been greater,” he said. In many cases, relatively small reductions in input costs, when combined with sound crop management, delivered double-digit percentage improvements in profitability. Mr Matthews also highlighted the structural challenges facing UK arable farming.