The Department of Environment, Food and and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the initial grain and oilseed harvest estimates for England.

Harvest 2025 data is not yet available for Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland but will be included within the final production estimates for the UK in December.

A number of key trends can be discerned from the Defra figures.

The majority of the main cereal crops saw reductions in yields in 2025 compared to the previous year, with winter barley the exception.

Overall yields fell below the five-year average with variability between regions.

The provisional estimate for the 2025 English wheat harvest is 10.6 million tonnes, a 4.9% increase on 2024, largely due to an 8.8% increase in area.

The 2025 English barley harvest is provisionally estimated at 4.2 million tonnes, a 14% decrease on 2024, driven by a 23% fall in spring barley and a 2.2% decline in winter barley production.

Oat production fell by 2.3% in 2025, despite a 9.4% increase in area, as yields declined by 11%.

Oilseed rape saw a 29% increase in yield compared to 2024, and was 17% above the five-year average. This resulted in a 5.5% increase in production to 722,000t in 2025.

Straw production varied across the main cereal crops and oilseed rape. Wheat straw production is estimated to remain steady at 2.6 million tonnes. Barley straw production, however, fell in 2025 by 27% to 1.2 million tonnes.

Weather at harvest

Initial good weather meant that the 2025 harvest progressed quickly, with many growers finishing ahead of a typical year.

However, in September, wet weather hindered the ability to harvest remaining crops towards the end of the season, resulting in a mixed picture across the country with considerable variability in yield between regions.

The wheat area in 2025 increased by 8.8%, while spring and winter barley saw decreases of 16% and 7.2% respectively.

The area planted with oats rose by 9.4%, from 148,000ha to 162,000ha. All cereal crop areas were below their five-year averages, with the exception of oats.

The area planted with oilseed rape decreased by 18% in 2025, falling from 250,000ha in 2024 to 204,000ha. This area sits below the five-year average and continues the downward trend observed since 2012.

Yields and production

The provisional estimate for the 2025 English wheat harvest is 10.6 million tonnes, representing a 4.9% increase on the previous year.

This is attributed to increases in the planted area across all regions, with the overall area increasing by 8.8% to 1.5 million hectares.

However, average yield declined by 3.6% to 7.0t/ha.

Wheat production rose in both the North and the Midlands regions, with the North East showing the largest increases in both production and yield.

In contrast, the South West saw the largest proportional decline, with production down 4.6% to 908,000t.

The provisional estimate for the 2025 English barley harvest is 4.2 million tonnes, representing a 14% decline compared to 2024.

This drop is driven by a 23% decrease in spring barley production and a 2.2% fall in winter barley.

Although winter barley yields increased by 5.3% to 6.5t/ha, the overall impact was offset by an 8.1% decline in spring barley yields to 5.0t/ha, contributing to the downward trend in total production.

Barley production fell across most regions, with the Eastern region seeing the largest proportional decline, a 22% reduction in production compared to the previous year.

In 2025, oats production declined by 2.3%, falling to 755,000t, and yield also dropped by 11% to 4.6t/ha compared to 2024.

Regional yields varied significantly, with the North East achieving the highest average yield at 5.3t/ha, while the South West recorded the lowest at 4.0t/ha.

Oilseed rape production rose by 5.5% in 2025 to 722,000t, despite an 18% reduction in planted area.

The increase was driven by a 29% increase in overall yield, with all regions seeing increases, though yields varied across the country.