UK cereal harvest falls short after record-breaking hot summer

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board released its final 2026 harvest figures, revealing that wheat, spring barley and oat crops fell significantly short of historical benchmarks, with wheat yields 11% below the five-year baseline and oats 14% lower. Winter barley matched its five-year average of 6.9 tonnes per hectare, and oilseed rape outperformed expectations, delivering yields roughly 19% above the norm.

Yield variation across farms was pronounced, with wheat outputs ranging from 3.9 to 11.5 tonnes per hectare depending on location. The AHDB attributed the overall decline to limited rainfall from spring onward and an exceptionally hot, dry summer that followed record-breaking heatwaves in May and June and the driest July on record for England and Wales. Analysts noted that soil type, planting dates and local moisture levels further influenced results, and that quality issues could complicate grain storage and marketing in the months ahead.