Two white clover, one red clover, two Italian ryegrass and eight perennial ryegrass varieties have been added to the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists for England and Wales 2025/26 (RGCL).

The thirteen new varieties add strength to the options available to farmers, as they continue to improve production efficiency, as well as environmental and economic sustainability.

The varieties were added following at least six years of independent and rigorous testing at trial sites across England and Wales, under a range of conditions, covering both conservation and simulated grazing management systems.

The trials assess many critical attributes, including seasonal growth and total annual yields, metabolisable energy (ME), ground cover, winter hardiness and disease resistance.

The new varieties have been granted provisional recommended status, after they demonstrated a clear improvement compared with the varieties already on the lists.

These provisionally recommended varieties will be reassessed after five years. If they continue to perform well, they will be recommended for general use and reviewed every four years, until they are outclassed by other varieties.

Ellie Roberts, Forage Crop Specialist at NIAB, who coordinates the RGCL trial programme on behalf of the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB), said: "The RGCL is a mechanism that challenges breeders to continue developing grass and clover varieties with increased forage yield potential, nutritional quality and nitrogen use efficiency.

"With input from seed merchants, the lists can help farmers identify the best varieties and variety mixtures for specific farming systems, while considering growing conditions, animal nutritional requirements and economic efficiency."

The RGCL 2025/26 handbook provides technical information for each variety and general information to help farmers manage reseeds and maximise the productivity of their swards.

Visit the AHDB website to download the RGCL 2025/26 handbook or request a hard copy: ahdb.org.uk/rgcl

The online interactive version of the RGCL will be updated shortly.