Cereal and oilseed rape areas in England at 1 June 2023
Updated 15 September 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cereal-and-oilseed-rape-areas-in-england/cereal-and-oilseed-rape-areas-in-england-at-1-june-2023
This release contains the estimates of cereal and oilseed rape areas on commercial agricultural holdings in England on 1 June 2023 from the June Survey of Agriculture. All other arable and horticultural crops areas will be published in September 2023 along with other areas of land use and ownership. The cereal and oilseed rape areas are final and will not be updated.
All results tables are available in the accompanying dataset, which is available at Cereal and Oilseed Rape Areas in England 2002 to 2023. The dataset contains estimates broken down by crop type and region.
Key points
Cereals
- The area of wheat in England decreased by 5.3% to 1.58 million hectares in 2023.
- The total English barley area increased by 2.2% between 2022 and 2023 to 799 thousand hectares. Winter barley rose by 5.2% to 391 thousand hectares whilst spring barley decreased by 0.5% to 408 thousand hectares.
- The oats area in England decreased by 4.2% to 134 thousand hectares in 2023.
Oilseed rape
- Winter sown oilseed rape (99% of the total oilseed rape area) increased by 7.0% to 339 thousand hectares.
Section 1 – Detailed results
Whilst the total barley and oilseed rape areas in England both saw increases of 2.2% and 6.1% respectively, the wheat area saw a decrease of 5.3% (Figure 1).
Figure 1 – Area of wheat, barley and oilseed rape in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
1.1 Cereals
Figure 2 shows a fall in the total cereal area of 3.0% between 2022 and 2023. This is largely driven by a 5.3% decrease in the wheat area. Oats and other cereals have also seen decreases of 4.2% and 5.6% respectively. Plantings have continued to follow a more typical pattern following the disruption due to weather in recent years however, in 2023 wheat plantings have possibly reduced in favour of farmers planting barley and oilseed.
Figure 2 - Cereal areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Year | wheat | winter barley | spring barley | oats | other | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,677 | 388 | 444 | 143 | 43 | 2,695 |
| 2020 | 1,265 | 253 | 792 | 169 | 46 | 2,526 |
| 2021 | 1,655 | 345 | 471 | 159 | 62 | 2,692 |
| 2022 | 1,668 | 372 | 410 | 140 | 59 | 2,649 |
| 2023 | 1,580 | 391 | 408 | 134 | 55 | 2,568 |
(1) other cereals are rye, mixed corn and triticale
1.2 Wheat
The 2023 wheat area estimate for England is 1.58 million hectares, a decrease of 5.3% compared to 2022 (Figure 1).
All English regions saw a decrease in wheat area. The largest proportional decrease was in the West Midlands region, which saw a fall of 6.3% (Figure 3). The Eastern region and the East Midlands together grow almost half of the wheat in the country, accounting for 28% and 20% of the total area respectively.
Figure 3 - Regional wheat areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Region | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 67,175 | 64,285 |
| North West | 33,805 | 32,558 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 229,818 | 221,022 |
| East Midlands | 332,919 | 312,683 |
| West Midlands | 163,889 | 153,615 |
| Eastern | 462,913 | 440,048 |
| South East & London | 218,592 | 205,520 |
| South West | 158,850 | 149,886 |
1.3 Barley
The total area of barley increased by 2.2%, from 782 thousand hectares in 2022 to 799 thousand hectares in 2023. Winter barley rose by 5.2% to 391 thousand hectares, whilst spring barley decreased by 0.5% to 408 thousand hectares, although spring barley still accounts for the majority (51%) of the total barley area in England (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - Winter and spring barley areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Year | winter | spring | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 388 | 444 | 832 |
| 2020 | 253 | 792 | 1,045 |
| 2021 | 345 | 471 | 816 |
| 2022 | 372 | 410 | 782 |
| 2023 | 391 | 408 | 799 |
Figure 5 shows the regional barley figures. In 2023, all regions saw a rise in area, ranging from a 1.4% increase in the South West up to a 3.8% increase in Yorkshire and the Humber. The Eastern region continues to account for almost a quarter of the total barley planted area.
Figure 5 - Regional barley areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Region | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 38,825 | 39,509 |
| North West | 36,582 | 37,761 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 117,128 | 121,530 |
| East Midlands | 124,334 | 126,728 |
| West Midlands | 56,582 | 57,842 |
| Eastern | 186,166 | 189,702 |
| South East & London | 98,304 | 100,256 |
| South West | 124,161 | 125,960 |
1.4 Oats
The area of oats in England decreased by 4.2% from 140 thousand hectares in 2022 to 134 thousand hectares in 2023.
1.5 Other Cereals
The combined area of rye, mixed corn and triticale in England decreased by 5.6%, from 59 thousand hectares in 2022 to 55 thousand hectares in 2023.
1.6 Cereal production
The unsettled weather in July hindered the start of the GB harvest with much of the country seeing periods of prolonged wet and windy weather. In August localised showers and heavy downpours further disrupted the harvest, with progress varying regionally.
In some regions wheat and oat harvests were well behind the five-year average by mid-August, with regions in the north particularly affected whereas both the winter barley and winter oilseed crop harvest were almost complete in most regions.
Early indications show yields of winter wheat and winter barley on par with the 5 year average. Winter oilseed rape yields are generally poor due to the unsettled weather and pest/disease infestation affecting the crop but this can vary between regions.
The first official Defra harvest estimates for cereals and oilseed production are expected to be published in October 2023, followed by the final UK results expected in December 2023. For further information go to our statistical announcements page.
1.7 Oilseed rape
The total area of oilseed rape increased by 6.1% from 323 thousand hectares in 2022 to 342 thousand hectares in 2023. This was due to a 7.0% increase in the winter sown area which stands at 339 thousand hectares in 2023. Winter oilseed accounts for 99% of the total oilseed rape area.
The spring sown area of oilseed decreased by 42% between 2022 and 2023, and accounts for only 1% of the total oilseed rape area.
Figure 6 - Regional oilseed rape areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Region | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 20,715 | 23,231 |
| North West | 4,673 | 4,929 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 54,628 | 58,222 |
| East Midlands | 62,230 | 68,301 |
| West Midlands | 36,452 | 39,256 |
| Eastern | 70,309 | 70,020 |
| South East & London | 42,493 | 43,844 |
| South West | 31,286 | 34,569 |
All regions in England saw increases in the oilseed rape area, apart from the Eastern region, which saw a decrease of 0.4%. (Figure 6). The largest proportional increases were in the North East and South West regions (12% and 10% respectively).
The Eastern Region and East Midlands have the largest oilseed rape areas. Combined, these regions account for 40% of the total oilseed rape area in England.
Section 2 – About these statistics
2.1 Survey methodology
Full details of the survey methodology are available on the Structure of the agricultural industry guidance web page.
The June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture has been run predominantly online since 2011, with an option for farmers to complete a paper form if they prefer. The survey is annual and samples around 30,000 holdings most years, with a full census run once a decade. The last census was run in 2021.
The June 2023 survey was sent to a sample of 30,000 commercial holdings and responses were received from 17,000 holdings, representing a response rate of 56%. Commercial holdings are defined as those with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.
Table 1 provides details of the sample survey population broken down by farm size. The size of a farm is determined by its Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) which is the typical number of full-time workers required on the holding based on its activity.
Table 1: June 2023 population size and sampling rate
| Stratum | Description | Sampling rate (%) | Population size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLR < 0.5 | 11% | 51,813 | |
| 2 | SLR >= 0.5 and < 1 | 20% | 14,898 | |
| 3 | SLR >= 1 and < 2 | 36% | 13,374 | |
| 4 | SLR >= 2 and < 3 | 52% | 7,130 | |
| 5 | SLR >= 3 and < 5 | 70% | 7,019 | |
| 6 | SLR >= 5 | 83% | 7,423 | |
| 10 | SLR unknown | 27% | 4,790 | |
| All | 28% | 106,447 |
For pig and poultry sectors, an additional data collection exercise was run to collect data from a central point for some of the largest companies. Cattle results are sourced from the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). The data include returns from all holdings with cattle so are not subject to survey error.
2.2 Data analysis
The data are subject to rigorous validation checks which identify inconsistencies within the data or large year-on-year changes. Any records that have not been cleaned by the results production stage are excluded from the analysis.
Population totals are estimated for each question on the survey to account for the non-sampled and non-responding holdings. This survey uses the technique known as ratio raising, in which the trend between the sample data and base data (previous year’s data) is calculated for each stratum. The calculated ratio is then applied to the previous year’s population data to give England level estimates. For holdings where we do not have base data (new holdings or long-term non-responders) the sample estimates are raised according to the inverse sampling fraction.
2.3 Confidence indicators
Confidence intervals and tick based indicators are shown alongside all of our estimated figures and can be found in the data tables within the dataset. These both help to show where there is more variability around results and highlight whether year-on-year changes are statistically significant or not. Whilst these are a useful indicator, they do not take into account any other sources of survey errors, such as non-response bias or administrative data errors.
2.4 Data notes
- All figures relate to commercial holdings apart from the cattle figures which relate to all holdings as these data are sourced from the Cattle Tracing Scheme.
- All percentage changes are based on unrounded figures.
- Totals may not necessarily agree with the sum of their components due to rounding.
2.5 Data uses and users
Results from the June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture have a wide range of uses and users with requests for data being made on a frequent basis. A document providing information of specific uses and users can be found on our guidance and notes.
2.6 Other survey results and publications
The next releases from the June Survey are expected to be at the end of September. The definitive publication date will be announced on the research and statistics webpage on gov.uk.
More detailed results from the June Survey can be found on our Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June web page. This includes various time series of crop areas and livestock numbers dating back as early as 1866 and detailed geographical breakdowns of the results.
2.7 Feedback
We welcome feedback and any thoughts to improve the publication further. Please send any feedback to: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk.
Section 3 - What you need to know about this release
Contact details
Responsible statistician: Sarah Thompson
Team: Farming Statistics - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Email: farming-statistics@defra.gov.uk
Tel: 0300 060 0170
National Statistics Status
National Statistics status means that our statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value, and it is our responsibility to maintain compliance with these standards.
The continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics was confirmed in 2014 following a full assessment by the UK Statistics Authority against the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Since the last review of these statistics in 2014, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made improvements including:
- Reviewed and amended the validation checks carried out on response data including validation against new administrative data sources to better assure ourselves of the quality of the statistics.
- Enhanced trustworthiness by removing pre-release access
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Tel: 0845 601 3034
Email: info@statistics.gov.uk.
You can find National Statistics on the internet on the Gov.uk website.