The UK's 2026 harvest was highly variable and shaped by low rainfall from spring onwards, according to the final harvest update from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

Winter wheat averaged 6.9 tonnes a hectare in the survey sample after late crops in Scotland and northern England were cut, still about 11 percent below the national five-year average, with yields ranging from 3.9 to 11.5 t/ha. Winter barley, at 6.9 t/ha, was broadly in line with its average.

Spring barley was one of the hardest crops, averaging 4.8 t/ha, about 17 percent below the five-year average, and oats reached 4.6 t/ha, about 14 percent below. Oilseed rape was the standout, averaging 4.0 t/ha, about 19 percent above the five-year average, although results varied widely between farms. Some northern farms reached or beat their long-term averages.

Photo: Oast House Archive / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: Agriland