This harvest will see a smaller area of milling wheats, while the Group 3 category has seen a recovery, according to the AHDB 2025 Planting and Variety Survey.

Carried out from 7 April to 16 May, the survey shows the total wheat area has rebounded from last year’s four-year low to 1.62m hectares this harvest.

However, the 6% increase over the previous year means the area remains slightly below the five-year (2020-2024) average of 1.65m hectares.

See also: New crop wheat at £176/t sparks concern for growers

Groups

In terms of varieties, Group 1 wheats account for 19% of the 2025 GB wheat area, down from 24% last year.

The Group 2 area has also declined to 17%, from 19% in 2024. The Group 1 and 2 areas have also declined in hectare terms.

Speaking at the Cereals event, AHDB lead analyst (Cereals & Oilseeds) Millie Askew said bread wheat is under pressure.

She suggested the area had declined due to the high fertiliser prices and eroding premiums.

In contrast, the share of Group 3 wheat varieties has risen sharply from 2% to 7%, which she said was due to the introduction of a new higher yielding variety Bamford

Wheat varieties

Group 4 varieties (combined hard and soft) now account for 53% of the total wheat area, the largest share since 2016.

Dawsum, a Group 4 variety, remains the most widely grown wheat in GB, occupying 15% of the area.

For Group 1 wheats, Crusoe and Skyfall remain popular, with 7% and 6% of the area, respectively.

Group 2 variety Extase has seen its area fall from 14% to 10%.

Bamford, a Group 3 variety added to the 2024-25 AHDB Recommended List, covers 7%.