Legislative Observatory
European Parliament
Please fill in this field to find a procedure

Agricultural holdings: network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation; Commission delegated and implementing powers

2011/0416(COD)

The European Parliament adopted by 674 votes to 16, with 10 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Community.

The European Parliament adopted its position following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary were the result of a compromise negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council. They amend the Commission’s proposal as follows:

Title of the Regulation: the title has been changed to Council Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Union (as opposed to the European Community).

'Farm Accountancy Data Network division' or “FADN division” shall mean the territory of a Member State, or any part thereof, delimited with a view to the selection of returning holdings, (a list of such divisions is set out in Annex I).

Agricultural holdings: these shall be classified in a uniform manner according to the Union typology for agricultural holdings, depending on their type of farming, their economic size and the importance of other gainful activities directly related to them.

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down:

  • methods for the calculation of particular types of farming specialisations and for assigning the holding to a principal type of farming;
  • the method for the calculation of the economic size of the holding;
  • methods for the calculation of the output of the holding, and for estimating the contribution of other gainful activities to that output.

Lisbon Treaty alignment (delegating and implementing acts): amendments aim to align the implementing powers conferred on the Commission by Council Regulation (EC) no 1217/2009 to Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts as regards:

  • amending Annex I with respect to Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) divisions per Member State;
  • laying down the rules for fixing the threshold for the economic size of returning holdings and the rules for establishing the plan for the selection of returning holdings;
  • fixing the reference period for the standard output;
  • defining the general and principal types of farming,
  • specifying the main groups of accountancy data to be collected and adopting general rules on the accountancy data to be included in the farm return;
  • determining the main groups of accountancy data to be collected and the general rules for data collection.

The delegation of power is conferred on the Commission for a period of five years (renewable) from the date of the entry into force of the Regulation.