UK – The UK Flour Millers Varieties Working Group (VWG), made up of representatives from the largest flour milling businesses in the United Kingdom, has upgraded the winter wheat variety SY Cheer to a full UKFM Group 1 rating.

This marks the first time a winter wheat variety has achieved Group 1 status since KWS Zyatt in 2017, signaling a potential shift in the supply of high-quality breadmaking wheat for UK millers.

SY Cheer has undergone four years of testing, which evaluated its wheat, milling, and baking performance. The VWG’s decision to assign this rating follows strong results in grain protein content, specific weight, and gluten quality, despite some minor variations in baking performance.

Joe Brennan, head of technical and regulatory affairs at UK Flour Millers, highlighted the variety’s excellent disease resistance and analytical quality as factors that could support its success in meeting mill intake specifications.

“Over the four years of testing, this variety showed good protein, high specific weight, and a strong gluten quality. The baking performance was good, although slight variation has been seen,” said Joe.

This upgrade comes at a critical time for the UK flour milling industry, which has seen a decline in the planting of Group 1 wheat varieties, dropping from 31% of the wheat area in 2020 to just 24% in 2024.

The shrinking domestic supply has led millers to increasingly rely on imports to meet demand for breadmaking wheat. By increasing the availability of high-quality homegrown wheat, SY Cheer could help address this supply deficit and reverse the trend of declining Group 1 wheat plantings.

According to Syngenta, the breeder behind SY Cheer, the variety offers robust yields and resistance to key wheat diseases like yellow rust and Septoria tritici, making it an attractive option for growers. With a protein content of 13%, it meets the breadmaking threshold, while its specific weight and Hagberg Falling Number far exceed typical requirements, reinforcing its milling potential.

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