Cereal and oilseed areas in England at 1 June 2026
Updated 27 August 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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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-areas-in-england-at-1-june-2025
This release contains the estimates of cereal and oilseed crop areas on commercial agricultural holdings in England on 1 June 2026 from the June Survey of Agriculture. All other arable and horticultural crops areas will be published in September 2026 along with other areas of land use and ownership. The cereal and oilseed crop areas are final and will not be updated.
All results tables are available in the accompanying dataset, which is available at Cereal and Oilseed Areas in England at 1 June (dataset). The dataset contains estimates broken down by crop type and region from 1983 to 2026.
Key points
Cereals
- The total area of land in England used to grow cereal crops is 2.4 million hectares in 2026, a decrease of 5.1% from 2025.
- The area of wheat in England decreased by 1.8% to 1.5 million hectares in 2026.
- The total English barley area decreased by 9.2% between 2025 and 2026 to 673 thousand hectares. While the area of winter barley increased by 1.6% to 307 thousand hectares, the area of spring barley decreased by 16.7% to 366 thousand hectares.
- The oats area in England decreased by 20.9% to 129 thousand hectares in 2026 and is the lowest area recorded since 2017.
Oilseed rape
- The oilseed rape area increased by 35.5% to 276 thousand hectares. Whilst this is the first increase since 2023, the area remains below the 342 thousand hectares recorded in that year.
Section 1 Detailed results
The area of land used to grow cereal crops was 2.4 million hectares in 2026. The wheat area decreased by 1.8% in 2026, this follows the increase of 8.8% seen in 2025. Whilst the total barley area in England decreased by 9.2%, the area of oilseed rape increased by 35.5%. Figure 1 shows the long-term trends for these key crop areas and highlights how changes in the wheat and barley areas are often closely interlinked.
Figure 1 - Area of wheat, barley and oilseed rape in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
Cereals
Figure 2 shows a fall in the total cereal area of 5.1% between 2025 and 2026. Wheat, barley and oats saw decreases of 1.8%, 9.2% and 20.9% respectively, whilst rye and other cereals have seen increases of 12.8% and 4.3%.
Figure 2 - Cereal areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Year | wheat | winter barley | spring barley | oats | rye | other cereals | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,668 | 372 | 410 | 140 | 40 | 19 | 2,649 |
| 2023 | 1,580 | 391 | 408 | 134 | 35 | 21 | 2,568 |
| 2024 | 1,402 | 325 | 524 | 148 | 30 | 20 | 2,450 |
| 2025 | 1,525 | 302 | 439 | 162 | 28 | 27 | 2,484 |
| 2026 | 1,497 | 307 | 366 | 129 | 31 | 28 | 2,358 |
(1) other cereals are mixed grain and triticale
1.2 Wheat
The 2026 wheat area estimate for England is 1.5 million hectares, a decrease of 1.8% compared to 2025 (Figure 1). This follows the increase in area of 8.8% recorded in 2025. Favourable planting conditions across the country during autumn 2025 supported crop establishment.
All English regions apart from the North West & Merseyside saw a decrease in wheat area. The largest proportional decrease was in the East Midlands region, which saw a fall of 3.1% (Figure 3). The Eastern region and the East Midlands together grow almost half of the wheat in the country, accounting for 28.3% and 19.2% of the total area respectively.
Figure 3 - Regional wheat areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Region | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 61,299 | 60,142 |
| North West | 28,662 | 28,810 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 215,208 | 212,704 |
| East Midlands | 296,646 | 287,379 |
| West Midlands | 148,449 | 144,726 |
| Eastern | 429,936 | 423,601 |
| South East & London | 199,691 | 196,780 |
| South West | 145,246 | 142,981 |
1.3 Barley
The total area of barley decreased by 9.2%, from 742 thousand hectares in 2025 to 673 thousand hectares in 2026. Winter barley rose by 1.6% to 307 thousand hectares. Spring barley area fell by 16.7% to 366 thousand hectares (Figure 4). This is the lowest level since 2014. This may be due to a number of factors, including low recent yields, weaker demand for malting barley, and low prices.
Figure 4 - Winter and spring barley areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Year | winter | spring | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 372 | 410 | 782 |
| 2023 | 391 | 408 | 799 |
| 2024 | 325 | 524 | 849 |
| 2025 | 302 | 439 | 742 |
| 2026 | 307 | 366 | 673 |
Figure 5 shows the regional barley figures. In 2026, all regions saw a fall in area. The East Midlands region saw the largest proportional decrease of 12.1%. 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 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 33,550 | 31,647 |
| North West | 36,102 | 32,444 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 113,126 | 106,467 |
| East Midlands | 122,591 | 107,756 |
| West Midlands | 52,991 | 48,426 |
| Eastern | 178,104 | 161,755 |
| South East & London | 89,193 | 79,634 |
| South West | 115,871 | 104,858 |
1.4 Oats
The area of oats in England decreased by 20.9% from 162 thousand hectares in 2025 to 129 thousand hectares in 2026. This is the lowest area recorded since 2017.
1.5 Minor cereals
The area of rye increased by 12.8%, from 28 thousand hectares in 2025 to 31 thousand hectares in 2026.
The area of other cereals (mixed grain and triticale) in England increased by 4.3%, from 27 thousand hectares in 2025 to 28 thousand hectares in 2026 but only accounts for 1% of the total cereals area.
1.6 Cereal production
Initially, the 2026 harvest progressed quickly across most of England, mainly due to advantageous weather conditions. However, the speed of harvest slowed moving northwards due to wet weather.
Early indications show average yields lower than expected, with substantial divergences between individual farms and crops. Yield estimates for winter barley are consistent with previous years, however wheat yields are estimated to be poor due to extended dry periods earlier in the year.
The first official Defra harvest estimates for cereals and oilseed production are expected to be published in October 2026, followed by the final UK results expected in December 2026. For further information go to our statistical announcements page.
1.7 Oilseed crops
The total area of oilseed rape increased by 35.5% from 204 thousand hectares in 2025 to 276 thousand hectares in 2026. This is the highest area of land used for oilseed rape since 2023.
Figure 6 - Regional oilseed rape areas in England at 1 June (thousand hectares)
| Region | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 12,926 | 17,359 |
| North West | 2,772 | 3,788 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 31,748 | 44,839 |
| East Midlands | 35,729 | 48,349 |
| West Midlands | 23,826 | 32,022 |
| Eastern | 43,148 | 58,981 |
| South East & London | 29,647 | 38,549 |
| South West | 23,793 | 32,004 |
All regions in England saw increases in the oilseed rape area (Figure 6). The largest proportional increase was seen in the Yorkshire and the Humber, rising by 41.2%.
The Eastern Region and East Midlands have the largest oilseed rape areas. Combined, these regions account for 38.9% of the total oilseed rape area in England.
The linseed sown area increased by 46.1%, whilst the area of borage saw a decrease of 5.0%, together these crops account for only a small proportion of oilseed crops.
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 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 2026 survey was sent to a sample of 38 thousand commercial holdings and responses were received from 19 thousand holdings, representing a response rate of 50%. 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 2026 population size and sampling rate
| Stratum | Description | Sampling rate (%) | Population size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SLR < 0.5 | 20% | 55,846 |
| 2 | SLR >= 0.5 and < 1 | 30% | 13,542 |
| 3 | SLR >= 1 and < 2 | 41% | 12,001 |
| 4 | SLR >= 2 and < 3 | 51% | 5,566 |
| 5 | SLR >= 3 and < 5 | 62% | 5,428 |
| 6 | SLR >= 5 | 71% | 5,685 |
| 10 | SLR unknown | 100% | 6,917 |
| All | 35% | 104,985 |
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 Survey changes
Since the June 2024 Survey of Agriculture, we’ve made changes to how we collect some data, including simplifying the survey form and reducing the number of questions asked. Certain crops are now grouped together instead of being collected separately for example, stock feeding crops, oilseed rape, and maize. Consequently, we no longer split oilseed rape into winter and spring varieties. Instead, all figures are now shown under one category, oilseed rape.
2.5 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.
2.6 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.
2.7 Other survey results and publications
The next releases from the June Survey are expected to be in 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.
2.8 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
3.1 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
3.2 Accredited official statistics
Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. An explanation can be found on the Office for Statistics Regulation website.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2014. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled accredited official statistics .
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards (see contact details). Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.
Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:
- 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.