Farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural production methods

PURPOSE: to specify the requirement for the collection of comparable Community statistics on the structure of agricultural holdings and to specify the requirement for a survey on agricultural production methods.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the legislation for the existing series of structural surveys does not contain any provisions for the farm structural surveys from 2010 onwards. This proposal therefore provides the legal framework for the next farm structure census in 2010 and for the interim surveys in 2013 and 2016. In addition, the proposal includes a survey on agricultural production methods with reference year 2010.

The present proposal will replace Council Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 of 29 February 1988 on the organisation of Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings. Nevertheless, core structural statistics relating to crops, livestock, labour and equipment will continue to be collected. Some structural information has been dropped and some new characteristics have been added. The number of interim surveys has been reduced from three to two and a new survey on production methods has been introduced.