Harvest 2025 saw the smallest barley area in England for 11 years and the first increase in wheat since 2022, according to Defra’s latest statistics.

There was also a sharp fall in the oilseed rape area, making it the smallest since 1983, while oats have seen a reversal in fortunes after four years of decline.

See also: AHDB survey reveals variety winners and losers for harvest 2025

The results of Defra’s 2025 June Survey of Agriculture estimate a wheat area of 1.5m ha, an increase of 8.8% on the previous season.

This is the first increase in the wheat area since 2022, but still lower than the area in that year.

All English regions saw an increase, the largest being in the North West, which saw a rise of 12%.

Barley

In contrast, the total area of barley decreased by 13% to 742,000ha in 2025.

Wet weather in September affected winter barley planting, resulting in the smallest area since 2020 at 302,000ha. 

Spring barley also saw a fall, decreasing by 16% to 439,000ha.

This decrease was seen across all regions, the largest being (11%) in the South East.

Oats and oilseed rape

The area of oats in England increased by 9.4% to 162,000ha in 2025.

This follows a decline in area in the past four years and is the highest it has been since its peak in 2020.

This overall downward trend for oilseed rape since its peak in 2012 continued, with a decrease of 18% to 204,000ha in 2025.

This makes it the lowest area since the early 1980s.

All areas saw a decrease, the largest being seen in the North West and East Midlands regions, with falls of 27% and 24%, respectively.