British pear growers are reporting an unusually sweet 2026 crop, with early-season fruit reaching sugar levels of almost 20% Brix following one of the warmest growing seasons on record.
The reports come as the new British pear harvest gets underway, with growers and British Apples & Pears (BAPL) suggesting that the combination of warmth and sunshine has created particularly favourable conditions for fruit development and flavour.
According to BAPL, the 2026 crop could prove to be one of the sweetest British pear crops growers have experienced in decades. Typical British pears reach around 12% Brix, making the reported levels of close to 20% notably higher than the historical norm.
Warm conditions accelerate pear development
The exceptional fruit quality follows an unusually warm 2026 growing season across the UK. Provisional Met Office figures reported by Fruitnet indicate that England experienced its warmest spring on record, while southern England also experienced exceptionally warm and dry conditions.
For orchard growers, the weather presented a mixture of opportunities and challenges. High temperatures and sunshine supported fruit development and sugar accumulation, but the lack of rainfall meant that irrigation and careful orchard management became increasingly important.
Tom Hulme, a BAPL board director and managing director of ACH Farming, told Fruitnet that some of this year’s pears were reaching almost 20% Brix, compared with a historical figure of around 12%. Growers described the fruit as particularly sweet and juicy as harvesting began.
The conditions have also been seen across other parts of the British topfruit industry. BAPL reported that the 2025/26 season delivered a record volume of British apples and pears to UK retailers, with 180,506 tonnes supplied to supermarkets — 10.4% more than the previous season.
Irrigation becomes increasingly important
While the warm weather has benefited fruit sweetness, the 2026 season has also highlighted the importance of water management in modern orchard production.
Southern England experienced particularly dry conditions, requiring growers to manage irrigation carefully during key stages of fruit development. For commercial orchards, maintaining adequate water availability is important not only for current-season fruit development but also for maintaining tree health and preparing crops for future seasons.
The challenge illustrates the increasingly complex relationship between weather and commercial tree fruit production. Warmer conditions can accelerate development and influence fruit quality, but prolonged drought and extreme temperatures can also place additional pressure on trees and irrigation infrastructure.
Record British apple and pear sales
The strong pear crop follows a record season for British topfruit in the domestic retail market.
BAPL reported that British growers supplied 162,331 tonnes of apples to UK supermarkets during the 2025/26 season, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year. British pear sales reached 18,175 tonnes, up 29.3% and the highest level since the 2018/19 season.
The figures suggest that British-grown tree fruit continues to have a significant role within the UK fresh produce market, while the latest pear crop is providing growers with an opportunity to showcase the quality that can be achieved under favourable growing conditions.
For the UK’s commercial orchard industry, the 2026 pear harvest also provides an insight into how growers are adapting to increasingly variable weather. Irrigation, orchard management, variety selection and careful monitoring are all becoming important tools as growers respond to changing growing conditions.
With harvesting now underway, the coming months will provide a clearer picture of how the unusually high sweetness levels translate across the wider British pear crop.
For now, however, the 2026 season is giving UK tree fruit growers plenty to talk about — with unusually warm conditions producing a crop that could make British pears one of the standout stories of this year’s fresh produce season.
Sources: British Apples & Pears, Fruitnet and The Grocer.
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