A summary: 2025 European wheat harvest

At GoodMills Group, we are committed to sourcing our wheat locally across the seven European countries where we operate. This local presence allows us to closely monitor harvest developments and ensure the quality and sustainability of our supply.

The 2025 European wheat harvest presents a diverse picture across these regions, which is why we’ve taken a closer look at the situation in each of our key markets.

The 2025 European wheat harvest can be described as a “tale of two halves”.

The first half relates to those countries that were able to harvest the majority of their crops during late June and July in mainly dry and warm conditions. This could be loosely defined as those countries east of Austria.

The second half of the tale relates to those countries predominantly situated in western and northern Europe that saw their harvests constantly interrupted by rain. In the main these countries are clearly experiencing differences in quality, although not so much in yield, from let’s say “per-rain” to “post-rain” intake.

If we dive into more detail per country, starting with Bulgaria which after a good planting campaign was hit with a heatwave during June & July that reduced yields and test weights.

On the other hand, this did help the harvest to ran smoothly, with final yields around 6.3 tons per hectare, in line with last year. Quality is mixed, but with no major concerns on protein levels and just the already mentioned test weight issues to contend with.

It was a similar planting season for Romania, but the harvest in central and western regions was interrupted by rains. Protein and gluten levels are generally lower than last year, while test weights are higher.

Currently, the market is dominated by low-protein wheat, while higher proteins are stored, with sellers expecting prices to rise.

In Hungary, planting conditions were good, but drought and a heatwave in June hit the crop late in maturity. Around 70% of the harvest was completed quickly and in dry conditions, with the remaining 30% seeing some minor rain delays.

Yields are lower than expected in spring, but at about 5.5 tons per hectare, they are still better than last year. Test weights and falling numbers are strong, gluten quality is good, and there’s a higher share of quality wheat compared to feed wheat.

In Austria, the harvest was repeatedly interrupted by rain, but overall wheat quality has remained strong, with early test weights above 84 kg and later yields still acceptable. Rye and spelt in the north are the main concerns.

Protein levels are higher than last year, gluten quality is solid, and mycotoxins are not a big issue. The main watchpoint now is the higher moisture, which usually reduces milling yield and falling numbers which need close monitoring.

In the Czech Republic, growing conditions were good, with slightly more wheat planted than last season. The harvest was delayed and repeatedly interrupted by rain, but so far, quality has held up, despite some issues emerging of lower falling numbers and test weights, but still at acceptable levels.

In Poland, planting and growing conditions were good, with stable acreage and yields expected above average. Harvest progress was hampered a lot by very wet conditions, especially in the north of the country.  

Early varieties are showing some falling number issues, while later varieties still look to be holding up.

In Germany, conditions are mixed across regions. In the south, yields are very good, with about 40% harvested before late-July rains. Quality so far has held up, though there’s risk that a significant share of the balance could go to feed wheat due to the heavy rains. Ergot is an issue in rye, but spelt quality is good.

In the north, the crop was severely hampered by the rains with only around 5% cut by 1^st week of Aug and many fields showed very uneven maturity. Therefore higher moisture, lower test weights, and weaker falling numbers are expected in this region than anticipated during July.

In the west, planting and growing conditions were good, but the harvest was also constantly interrupted by rain. Even so, yields look above average, with falling numbers and test weights holding steady, and protein levels in line with or slightly better than previous years.

So in summary, the European wheat harvest has shown generally good yields, but quality is uneven — with test weight, protein, and falling numbers varying by region, and rain interruptions creating uncertainty, particularly in Central and Northern areas.

Farmers remain cautious sellers, while milling wheat availability and protein levels will be key to competitiveness, especially against strong international competition.

As always, GoodMills is actively monitoring the market and working closely with our local partners to secure the wheat qualities we need. Our strong regional presence enables us to respond quickly to changing conditions and maintain the high standards our customers expect. We remain committed to ensuring a stable and high-quality supply across all our operations.