Early Bird Survey

The Early Bird Survey (EBS) takes place each autumn to assess national cropping intentions. It is undertaken by The Andersons Centre, with the help of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) and other agronomists.

Final results for harvest 2026

The final results of the Early Bird Survey (EBS) of planting intentions show a rise in the oilseed rape area from last years’ low level, along with a small increase in wheat plantings at the national level for harvest 2026. The survey also indicates lower areas of barley, oats and pulses.

There have been some small changes to the forecasts for the main crops compared to the provisional release, mainly reflecting the inclusion of official data on cropped areas in 2025. Also, the regional variation in cropping intentions across the UK are now shown here.

Final results from the Early Bird Survey (EBS) of cropping intentions

* crops included rye, triticale and mixed grains

** crops included linseed and borage

*** crops included sugar beet, potatoes, vegetables, maize (33%) and temporary grass (20%)

^survey of agronomists up to early November 2025.

Source: Defra, The Andersons Centre for the AHDB.

Please note that this survey (EBS) captures early plantings and planting intentions as of late-October and early November. In recent years, planted and harvested areas have differed because of weather events, including for harvest 2025, our base year for this survey, meaning some uncertainty is accordingly built into these results.

Autumn drilling conditions were generally good in 2025, contrasting with the wet start to the autumn drilling window last year and extremely wet conditions in autumn 2023. However, the market environment is challenging, with lower prices for cereals and lower milling and malting premiums, plus increased costs for all crops.

Against this backdrop, oilseed rape likely benefited from a more favourable margin outlook compared to other crops, as well as the good yields achieved in 2025. The poor cereal yields of the past two years, along with ongoing commitments to agri-environment schemes and rotation needs are also likely to be influencing 2026 planting plans. After the area declined in 2025, the survey also points to an 8% increase in uncropped arable land in 2026. This category would include productive land requiring options under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in England, as well as rotational fallow and more.

To view the full breakdown of figures by crop and region, please click here. 

Additional information

There have been slight changes in area expectations compared to the provisional results released in November 2025. The raw data sample is unchanged, but the official 2025 crop area estimates have been included. There are also small adjustments to allow for any weighting differences (crop mix or regions) between the survey area and the final official data, reverting to the methodology used in the 2023 EBS. In 2024, due to the large changes in cropped areas and uncropped land, unadjusted figures were presented to better show the cropping intentions for the main crops in arable rotations, for harvest 2025.

The Early-Bird Survey (EBS) is undertaken each autumn to assess national cropping intentions. It is carried out by The Andersons Centre with help from agronomists from the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC): independents and nationals alike.

In total, nearly 70 agronomists took part in the survey contributing 600 Kha of arable land across the UK to establish cropping changes on farms as a representation for the national change in cropping. The survey was mainly struck during late October, with most data collected by 01 November, though submissions were received up to 07 November.

Crops of smaller area had a lesser area coverage in the survey, so these results will be subject to greater uncertainty.

This survey is focused on the arable farm rotation rather than all arable land which would include grass and forage rotations. For this reason, an estimate of the total area of these crops is included in the figure for ‘other crops on arable land’.

Figures in all tables are subject to rounding and may not add up exactly to national figures.

The survey carries a track record of accurate figures. Nonetheless, the survey only represents a snapshot at a given point in time and therefore, should be interpreted carefully. The reliability of the estimates for larger crops is greater, as are estimates for the winter crops as they are based on actual plantings, compared with planting intentions for spring crops.

AHDB tools

Recent years have been very challenging for farmers, and you may find the below tools from AHBD useful:

• Budgeting and understanding the potential financial picture is important; AHDB’s Farmbench and Arable Business Groups can help you with this.
• Information from AHDB on agricultural policy, including the latest on the Environmental Land Management Schemes.

There’s advice on supporting your mental wellbeing from organisations such as Yellow Wellies, the Farming Community Network and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute, plus the NFU has links to local support.

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