KWS in the UK

About KWS UK

Who are we?

As a subsidiary of the global KWS Group, KWS UK focuses on breeding and supplying seeds for various crops including wheat, barley, maize, beet, oilseed rape, oats, peas and hybrid rye.

KWS UK has been providing growers with innovative new varieties to meet varied end-market needs for over 25 years. Higher yields, superior disease and pest resistance, and improved performance in adverse conditions are all key criteria we seek to establish in our product portfolio.

KWS UK Breeding Site Aerial Shot

KWS UK PDF East

In the UK, we specialise in breeding winter wheat, winter barley, and spring wheat, while also running trials for oilseed rape, spring barley, hybrid rye, maize, and beet on behalf of the KWS Group.

Our head office and cutting-edge seed production facility are located in Thriplow, Cambridgeshire. Just two miles away in Fowlmere is ‘PDF East’, one of our three product demonstration fields. Here, we showcase key varieties from across our crop portfolios. The site also hosts a wide range of agronomy trials, including our winter-versus-spring wheat drilling date comparison and several quality wheat projects. Now in its 16th rotation year, PDF East continues to play a central role in our research and demonstration work.

KWS Product Development Sites

We operate three product development sites across the UK, each strategically located to ensure easy access for growers in every region. Our northern site, PDF North, our established eastern site, PDF East, and, new for 2025, our western site, PDF West, together provide broad national coverage.

At PDF North, we showcase our leading wheat, barley, hybrid rye, and oilseed rape varieties in large demonstration blocks spread across four fields, rotating annually. This site offers growers an early opportunity to assess our cereal varieties and begin planning their future varietal selections.

We are especially excited to announce the launch of PDF West in 2025. Located at our maize headquarters in Lydney, Gloucestershire, with stunning views over the River Severn, this new site will feature cereals, oilseeds, fodder beet, and peas.

Each site offers something unique, shaped by its regional conditions, and all are well worth a visit. We host open days from late May through to harvest; if you would like to attend or arrange a visit to any of our sites, please get in touch.

KWS UK - Lydney

Our maize headquarters is based in the heart of the UK maize growing area in Lydney, Gloucestershire.

KWS has a wide range of top-performing maize varieties to suit all farm situations and offers timely advice and support across the seasons, to help you get the best out of your crop. We provide strong technical and trials support to maize growers.