Harvest 2026 is now almost complete in the UK, the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) has confirmed.

Much of the remaining activity is concentrated in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England.

As combines have moved further north, progress has slowed due to wetter conditions.

This change in weather has also coincided with a rise in crop moisture levels compared with those recorded during July and the first half of August.

In AHDB's third Harvest 2026 update, it confirmed that, overall, yields remain disappointing following another season of prolonged dry weather.

While some crops have performed better in northern areas, this has brought only modest improvements to the national picture.

Significant variability in both yield and quality continues to make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the overall harvest outcome, it said.

Winter barley

The winter barley harvest is now largely complete in the UK, with just pockets left to be cut in Northern Ireland. 

Crop yields have been highly variable this season. Based on the survey sample, the average yield is 6.9t/ha, broadly in line with the five-year average.

Winter oilseed rape

According to AHDB, the winter oilseed rape harvest is now complete.

The average oilseed rape yield from the survey sample rounds to 4.0t/ha, up 19% compared to the UK five-year average.

However, like other crops, there has been wide variation in crop performance.

Oats

The pace of harvesting has slowed over the past fortnight.

Nationally, the oat harvest was 89% complete by August 24.

The average oat yield for the farms in this survey to date is now 4.4t/ha, 17% below the five-year average.

Increased progress in Scotland and northern England has brought this average up from the previous report.

Winter wheat

The winter wheat harvest was 94% complete by August 24, up from 85% a fortnight ago.

Small areas remain in Yorkshire, but the majority are in the North East, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For crops harvested to date, the average winter wheat yield in this survey is 6.8t/ha, 12% below the national five-year average.

The average has increased slightly from the AHDB's last report (6.7t/ha) due to larger areas being cut in Scotland and northern England, where sampled yields have been higher.

Spring barley

The spring barley harvest reached 80% by 24 August, with the largest areas remaining in Scotland, North East England and Northern Ireland.

By 24 August, an estimated 54% of Scottish spring barley had been harvested; the fastest progress in Scotland since 2022.

The variability of this year’s spring barley crop so far cannot be overstated, AHDB stressed

The yield for crops harvested to date has increased over the past fortnight.

This is due to larger areas being cut in Scotland and the northern England, where sampled yields have been higher. 

However, the current estimate still represents a 19% fall from the UK five-year average.