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"BCOUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 571/88
of 29 February 1988
on the organization of Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings "M6
3
(OJ L 56, 2.3.1988, p. 1)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
"M1 Commission Regulation (EEC) No 807/89 of 20 March 1989 L 86 1 31.3.1989
"M2 amended by Commission Decision 93/156/EEC of 9 February
1993L 65 12 17.3.1993
"M3 Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1057/91 of 26 April 1991 L 107 11 27.4.1991
"M4 Commission Decision 94/677/EC of 6 October 1994 L 269 38 20.10.1994
"M5 Commission Decision 96/170/EC of 15 February 1996 L 47 23 24.2.1996
"M6 Council Regulation (EC) No 2467/96 of 17 December 1996 L 335 3 24.12.1996
"M7 Commission Decision 98/377/EC of 18 May 1998 L 168 29 13.6.1998
Amended by:
"A1 Act of Accession of Austria, Sweden and Finland C 241 21 29.8.1994
(adapted by Council Decision 95/1/EC, Euratom, ECSC) L 1 1 1.1.1995
NB: This consolidated version contains references to the European unit of account and/or the ecu, which from 1 January 1999
should be understood as references to the euro — Council Regulation (EEC) No 3308/80 (OJ L 345, 20.12.1980, p. 1) andCouncil Regulation (EC) No 1103/97 (OJ L 162, 19.6.1997, p. 1).1988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 1
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 571/88
of 29 February 1988
on the organization of Community surveys on the structure of
agricultural holdings "M6 3
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof,
Having regard to the proposals from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),
Whereas trends in the structure of agricultural holdings are an important
factor in determining the development of the common agricultural
policy; whereas the series of surveys on the structure of agricultural
holdings, carried out on a Community basis since 1966/67, should be
continued;
Whereas such trends cannot be examined at Community level unless
comparable data are available for all the Member States; whereas it is
therefore necessary to continue previous harmonization and synchron-
ization efforts;
Whereas the workloads of the Member States and of the Commission in
the execution of this task must be reduced as much as possible;
Whereas, where at all possible, the characteristics, definitions and
geographic units laid down for similar previous structure surveys should
be retained;
Whereas, when determining the characteristics to be examined
"M6 3, there must be an endeavour to curtail as far as
possible the workload of persons concerned by the survey;
Whereas, in order to assess the situation of Community agriculture and
monitor trends in agricultural structures, it is necessary to carry out at
regular intervals statistical surveys in agricultural holdings which have a
certain agricultural area utilized for farming or if they produce a certain
proportion for sale or whose production exceeds certain physical
thresholds;
Whereas, in view of the variety of statistical services in the Member
States, the efficiency of sample survey methods and the necessity to
obtain reliable information at reasonable cost, Member States should be
allowed to decide whether the surveys they carry out are of a full or
sample type, on condition that the results of the random sample surveys
are reliable at the various levels of aggregation required;
Whereas it is nonetheless necessary to carry out, at least every ten years,
a census (full survey) of all the agricultural holdings in order to update
the basic registers of holdings and the other information required for the
stratification of sample surveys;
Whereas, when the procedures to be employed for the Community
censuses in 1989/90 and 1999/2000 are determined, acocunt (SIC!
account) must be taken as far as possible of the recommendations of the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) regarding
world censuses of agriculture to be conducted sometime around 1990 and
also around 2000;!B
(1) OJ No C 179, 8. 7. 1987, p. 3 and
OJ No C 4, 8. 1. 1988, p. 10.
(2) OJ No C 305,16. 11. 1987, p. 147.!M61988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 2
Whereas for the requirements of agricultural policy it is necessary to
provide the statistical offices of the Member States and the Commission
with a new system of analysing the data and disseminating the results of
the surveys which is more flexible and rapid than the previous one, while
alleviating the workload of the Member States;
Whereas the introduction of adequate procedures enabling the Commis-
sion and the Member States to make the best use of the statistics
prepared from the data collected in surveys of the structures of
agricultural holdings should be facilitated;
Whereas individual data are subject to statistical confidentiality;
Whereas it is necessary, when implementing a new system for the use of
surveys and the circulation of their results,
— to take account of the positions of the Directors-General of the
Member States’ national statistical institutions on the preparation of
rules on the confidentiality of statistics,
— to ensure close cooperation between the Member States in the
analysis of the data;
Whereas the coordinating role of the Statistical Office of the European
Community is necessary to meet the Community requirements for
information in the field in question and to ensure uniform analysis of the
results obtained;
Whereas, in order to carry out these surveys, considerable funding will
be required from both the Member States and the Commission over a
number of years, a large proportion of which will be used to meet the
requirements of the Community; whereas provision should therefore be
made for a Community subsidy to assist this programme;
Whereas, in order to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of
this Regulation, close cooperation between the Member States and the
Commission should continue, in particular via the Standing Committee
for Agricultural Statistics set up by Decision 72/279/EEC (1),
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
As part of the programme of statistical surveys of the Community,
Member States shall, between "M61988 and 2007 3, carry out
surveys on the structure of the agricultural holdings in their territories,
hereinafter referred to as ‘surveys’. The reference periods of these
surveys are set out in Articles 2 and 3.
Article 2
1. In line with the FAO recommendations for world censuses of
agriculture, Member States shall carry out a basic survey in one or more
stages in the form of a general census (full survey) of all agricultural
holdings, between 1 December 1988 and 1 March 1991 and between 1
December 1998 and 1 March 2001 respectively. These surveys shall
relate to the crop year corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 1989
or 1990 and in 1999 or 2000.
Nevertheless, in the framework of the 1989/90 basic survey, Member
States may use random sample surveys, hereinafter referred to as ‘sample
survey’ for certain characteristics; the results obtained thereby shall be
extrapolated.
2. Member States may, however, bring forward or defer the carrying out
in the 1989/90 basic survey by 12 months at most, in which case they
shall carry out a sample survey, relating to one of the crop years 1989 or
1990.!B
(1) OJ No L 179, 7. 8. 1972, p. 1.!M61988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 3
Article 3
The following surveys "M6(interim surveys) 3on the structure of
agricultural holdings shall be carried out in one or more stages in the
form of full or sample surveys:
(a) between 1 December 1992 and 1 March 1994, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 1993 (structure survey
1993);
(b) between 1 December 1994 and 1 March 1996, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 1995 (structure survey
1995); and
(c) between 1 December 1996 and 1 March 1998, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 1997 (structure survey
1997);
(d) between 1 December 2002 and 1 March 2004, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 2003 (structure survey
2003);
(e) between 1 December 2004 and 1 March 2006, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 2005 (structure survey
2005);
and
(f) between 1 December 2006 and 1 March 2008, covering the crop year
corresponding to the crop to be harvested in 2007 (structure survey
2007).
Article 4
Member States conducting sample surveys shall take the necessary steps
to obtain reliable results at the various levels of aggregation required,
which are as follows:
— the regions referred to in Article 8,— the districts referred to in Article 8 (for base surveys only),— the ‘objective zones’ within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No
2052/88 (
1) and Commission Decision 94/197/EC (2) (for the
1999/2000 basic survey only),
and in so far as the following territorial units are important locally:— the ‘less-favoured agricultural areas’ as defined in Article 3 of
Directive 75/268/EEC (
3) and the ‘mountain areas’ as defined in
paragraph 3 of the same Article,
— the principal technical economic guide-lines within the meaning of
Decision 85/377/EEC (4),
— the particular technical economic guide-lines within the meaning of
the same Decision.
Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that samples
are structured in a way which allows the use of one single coefficient per
holding for raising the information collected by sampling.!B
(1) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 9. Regulation as last amended by Regulation
(EC) No 3193/94 (OJ No L 163, 2. 7. 1996, p. 45).
(2) OJ No L 96, 14. 4. 1994, p. 1.
(3) OJ No L 128, 19. 5. 1975, p. 1. Directive as last amended by the 1994 Act of
Accession.
(4) OJ No L 220, 17. 8. 1985, p. 1. Decision as last amended by Commission
Decision 96/393/EC (OJ No L 163, 2. 7. 1996, p. 45).!M61988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 4
Article 5
For the purposes of applying this Regulation:
(a) ‘agricultural holding’ shall mean a single unit, both technically and
economically, which has a single management and which produces
agricultural products;
(b) ‘agricultural area utilized for farming’shall mean the total area taken
up by arable land, permanent pasture and meadow, land used for
permanent crops and kitchen gardens.
Article 6
The surveys shall cover:
(a) agricultural holdings where the agricultural area utilized for farming
is one hectare or more;
(b) agricultural holdings where the agricultural area utilized for farming
is less than one hectare, if they produce a certain proportion for sale
or if their production unit exceeds certain physical thresholds.
However, Member States which use a different survey threshold commit
themselves to fixing this threshold at a level excluding only the smallest
holdings which together contribute 1% or less to the total standard gross
margin (SGM), within the meaning of Decision 85/377/EEC, for the
Member State concerned.
Before the surveys are carried out Member States shall inform the
Commission of the methods used to fix their thresholds.
Article 7
1. In the case of combined crops, the agricultural area utilized for
farming shall be allocated between the various crops in proportion to the
amount of land the latter take up.
The procedure for this allocation and, if appropriate, exceptions to the
general rule will be settled by the Member States in agreement with the
Commission.
Furthermore, the area used for combined crops shall also be recorded
separately from the utiized (SIC! utilized) agricultural area (UAA) in
accordance with the groupings listed in Annex I.
2. The area used for successive secondary crops shall be recorded
separately from the ‘utilized agricultural area.’
Successive secondary crops shall be enumerated in accordance with the
groupings listed in Annex I.
Article 8
1. Member States shall take the necessary steps to ensure that the
information collected in the surveys referred to in this Regulation
complies with the characteristics listed in Annex I. The changes to be
made to that list of characteristics for the "M61993 to 2007 3
surveys shall be determined in accordance with the procedure laid down
in Article 15.
2. In the framework of determining the list of characteristics for the
1992/2000 basic survey, Member States may, at their request and on the
basis of appropriate documentation, be authorized by the Commission, in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 15, to use random
sample surveys for certain characteristics.!B
!M61988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 5
In accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 15, likewise on
request and on the basis of appropriate documentation and in the
framework of determining the list of survey characteristics, Member
States may be authorized to use, for certain characteristics as from the
1997 survey, already available information from sources other than
statistical surveys.
3. In the 1999/2000 basic survey, the geographical situation of each
holding shall be defined by a code which allows for aggregation by
territorial units lower than the survey-district level or at least by objective
zones.
4. The definitions relating to the characteristics and to the delimination
(SIC! delimitation) and coding of regions, survey districts and other
territorial units shall be fixed in accordance with the procedure laid down
in Article 15.
"M653. Where, for the purpose of applying the Community
typology for agricultural holdings in certain Member States, standard
gross margins have been established relating to subdivisions of certain
characteristics listed in Annex 1, the Member States concerned shall
collect all the information necessary to permit the application of these
standard gross margins.
Article 9
Member States shall take all appropriate steps to carry out the surveys in
their territories. In particular they shall:
(a) devise questionnaires appropriate to the collection of the information
provided for in the list of characteristics mentioned in Article 8 (1);
(b) check whether the questionnaires have been completed in full and
whether the replies are credible; where necessary and as far as
possible, they shall complete missing data and correct inaccurate
data.
Article 10
Member States shall forward to the Statistical Office of the European
Communities the information mentioned in Article 8 (1) obtained from
the censuses and sample surveys in the form of individual data per
holding, in accordance with the procedure described in Annex II,
hereafter called ‘Eurofarm project’.
Member States shall ensure that the data transferred in the Eurofarm
standard record layout are complete and plausible, using the uniform
checking conditions laid down by the Statistical Office of the European
Communities after close collaboration with the competent services of the
Member States; they shall also use the checking tables mentioned in
paragraph 9 of Annex II for checking individual data.
Article 11
Member States shall supply the Statistical Office of the European
Communities with any information it may require of them regarding the
organization and methodology of the surveys covered by this Regulation;
in particular, they shall provide detailes (SIC! details) of the timetable
for the data collection operations in the field.
Article 12
In the context of the Eurofarm project, the Statistical Office of the
European Communities shall be responsible for disseminating the tabular
results of the survey. The practical details of such dissemination shall be
agreed by the appropriate committees and working parties.!M6
!B
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Article 13
Every three years, and in the first instance not later than 31 December
1992, the Commission shall submit to the Council a report on the
operation of the Eurofarm project. It shall propose any necessary changes
to this Regulation.
Article 14
1. As a contribution to expenses incurred by the Member States
"M6in carrying out the surveys provided for in Articles 2 and 3 3,2 0
ECU per holding for which complete survey results are forwarded to the
Statistical Office of the European Communities shall be reimbursed up
to a maximum per survey of:
— 100 000 ECU for Luxembourg,
— 500 000 ECU for Belgium and Denmark,
— ECU 600 000 for Sweden,— 700 000 ECU for the Netherlands,
— ECU 700 000 for Finland,
— 1 100 000 ECU for Ireland,
— 1 300 000 ECU for the United Kingdom,
— ECU 1 400 000 for Austria.
— 2 000 000 ECU for Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy and
Portugal.
For Member States which carry out a general census (full survey) in
1999/2000 of all agricultural holdings surveying all the required
characteristics, the abovementioned sums shall be increased by 50%.
The annual appropriations shall be authorized by the budgetary authority
within the limits of the financial perspective.
2. The maximum annual financial reference amount for the develop-
ment, maintenance, necessary adaptations to, and management of, the
Eurofarm project, including dissemination of results, shall be:
— ECU 480 000 for 1989,
— ECU 440 000 for 1990,
— ECU 240 000 for 1991,— ECU 80 000 for the years 1992 to 1998,
— ECU 700 000 for the years 1999 and 2000,
— ECU 550 000 for the years 2001 to 2010.
The annual appropriations shall be authorized by the budgetary authority
within the limits of the financial perspective.
Article 15
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is invoked, the matter
shall be referred to the Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics
(hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’) by its Chairman, either on
this own initiative or at the request of the representative of a Member
State.!B
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!A1
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee
a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its
opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay
down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be
delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) (1) of the Treaty in
the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal
from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member
States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in
that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.
3. The Commission shall adopt measures which shall take immediate
effect. However, if these measures are not in accordance with the
Committee’ s opinion, the Commission shall submit them forthwith to the
Council; in this case, the Commission may defer application of the
measures it has adopted for not more than one month from the date of
their submission to the Council.
The Council, acting by qualified majority, may take a different decision
within one month.
Article 16
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in
all Member States.
(1) Regulation (EC) No 2467/96 modifies Article 15 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No
571/88. However, this modification cannot be inserted due to successiveamendments to the basic act, which have not been taken into account.Regulation (EC) No 2467/96 indicates that the Committe adopts ‘by amajority of 62 votes’ (as provided in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty.!
B1988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 8
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ANNEX I
A. LIST OF CHARACTERISTICS
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B. DATA SOURCES
Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom are
authorised to use information available from the Integrated Administration andControl System set up according to Council Regulations (EEC) No 3508/92 (
1)
and (EEC) No 3887/92 (2). For characteristics B01, B01(a), B01(b), B01(c),
B01(d), L01 and L01(a), the Netherlands are authorised to use data from theNational Farm Register.!
M7
(1) OJ L 355, 5. 12. 1992, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 391, 31. 12. 1992, p. 36.1988R0571 — EN — 19.05.1998 — 002.001 — 23
ANNEX II
EUROFARM PROJECT
Description and content
1. The Eurofarm project is a set of data banks to be used for processing
Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings for therequirements of national and Community agricultural policies.
The project will be designed and implemented by the statistical services of
the Member States and of the Commission, working in close consultation andwith Commission support.
2. The Eurofarm data banks are as follows:
— the individual data bank (BDI), which will contain the individual data
not directly indentifiable (SIC! identifiable) on all holdings (in the case
of basic surveys) or data on all holdings or on a representative sample ofholdings (in the case of interim surveys) which is sufficient to enableanalyses to be carried out at the geographical levels mentioned in Article
4 of the Regulation.
— the Tabular Data Bank (BDT), which will contain the survey results in
the form of statistical tables. The contents of the BDT will be decided in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 15 of thisRegulation.
Location of the data banks
3."
M6Except in case of the individual data of Germany concerning the 1988
to 1997 surveys 3, the BDI for all Member States is located in a Commission
processing centre. The Statistical Office of the European Communities has
sole responsibility for access to it and for its management.
4. The BDT is housed in a Commission processing centre.
Communication of the individual data to the Statistical Office of the
European Communities
5. Individual data will be supplied using a uniform code specified by Eurostat in
agreement with the Member States and within time limits to be determined in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 15 of this Regulation.
6. By way of derogation, Germany will not forward individual data but tabular
results corresponding to the BDT table programme mentioned under
paragraph 2. This derogation expires after the surveys of the period 1988to 1997.
Germany undertakes to centralize the individual data on a magnetic carrier in
a single data-processing centre, within 12 months of completion of datacollection in the field.
Communication of the tabular data
7. On the basis of the individual data supplied by the Member States the
Statistical Office of the European Communities will compile:
— tables intended for BDT,
— ad hoc tables as defined in paragraph 15.
8.1. Where the individual data forwarded by the Member States do not enable the
Statistical Office of the European Communities to prepare all the tables forthe BDT specified in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 15,
the Member States in question shall undertake to supply the missing tables
three months after the date for the forwarding of individual data referred to inparagraph 5 of the Annex.
8.2. Where the individual data forwarded by the Member States do not enable the
Statistical Office of the European Communities to prepare the ad hoc tablesbased on the characteristics listed in Annex I, the Commission, in!
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collaboration with the Member States, shall consider how the tables in
question are to be forwarded.
9. Together with the individual data the Member States undertake to forward the
checking tables which will be defined by the Statistical Office of the
European Communities in concert with the Member States.
Confidentiality of individual data
10. The individual data must be forwarded to the Statistical Office of the
European Communities in an anonymous form which does not allow holdingsto be directly identified.
11. The Commission will take suitable precautions within its data-processing
system to safeguard the confidentiality of the data and shall inform the
Member States thereof.
12. Access to the individual data is restricted to the persons responsible within
the Statistical Office of the European Communities for implementation of the
Regulation.
13. The tables referred to in paragraph 14 must not allow direct or indirect
identification of holdings.
Use of the data and dissemination of the results
14. The Statistical Office of the European Communities undertakes to use the
individual data communicated by the Member States for statistical purposes
only, and to exclude all use for administrative ends.
The individual data will be used in compiling:
— the tables contained in the BDT,— the ad hoc tables.
15. Ad hoc tables are those for which no provision has been made in the original
Community programme fixing the content of the BDT, but whosecompilation, on the basis of the characteristics indicated in Annex I, isrequested in order to satisfy the information requirements of the Community
institutions or of the Member States’ statistical offices.
Coordination
16. In the framework of their respective responsibilities and in accordance with
Regulation (Euratom, EEC) No 1588/90, the Statistical Office of the
European Communities and the Member States will establish rapid
consultation procedures with a view to:
— ensuring the confidentiality and statistical reliability of the information
prepared on the basis of the individual data,
— informing the Member States of the use made of these data.!
B
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