COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 218/78 of 19 December 1977 on the organization of a survey on the structure of agricultural holdings for 1979/80

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 proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas the Member States are preparing to carry out a survey as part of the next 10-yearly world agricultural survey recommended by the FAO and to be conducted sometime around 1980;

Whereas the results of this survey may be used for Community purposes if the reference period, the scope and the definitions are harmonized as part of a Community programme;

Whereas the structural trends of agricultural holdings are an important factor in determining the course to be followed by the common agricultural policy ; whereas the series of surveys on the structure of holdings, the latest of which was organized under Regulation (EEC) No 3228/76 (2), should be continued;

Whereas, in order to assess the technical and economic operation of the holdings, the agricultural area utilized for farming should, in the case of combined crops, be allocated between such crops in proportion to the amount of land which the latter take up;

Whereas in order to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of this Regulation there should be close cooperation between the Member States and Commission, in particular via the Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics set up by Decision 72/279/EEC (3),

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Member States shall, between 1 April 1979 and 15 June 1980, in accordance with the FAO recommendation for a world census of agriculture, carry out a survey of the agricultural holdings in their territories (hereinafter referred to as "the survey").

Article 2

1. 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.

2. The survey shall cover: (a) agricultural holdings where the agricultural area utilized for farming is one hectare or more; (1)OJ No C 6, 9.1.1978, p. 136. (2)OJ No L 366, 31.12.1976, p. 1. (3)OJ No L 179, 7.8.1972, p. 1.

(b) agricultural holdings where the agricultural area utilized for farming is less than one hectare, if they market a certain proportion of their products or if their standard gross production exceeds certain physical limits.

Article 3

Member States shall include in their national questionnaires the questions necessary for obtaining the information relating to the characteristics listed in the Annex.

Article 4

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.

2. The area used for secondary successive crops shall be recorded separately from the area used for farming.

Article 5

The definitions relating to the characteristics listed in the Annex and to the regions and districts referred to in Article 8 shall be determined according to the procedure laid down in Article 12.

Article 6

The survey shall be carried out as a general census. However, Member States may use surveys by random sampling for different parts of the list of characteristics.

The results obtained by random sampling shall be extrapolated.

Article 7

Member States shall set out the results of the survey in the form of a schedule of tables drawn up in accordance with a Community outline. This outline shall be drawn up in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 12.

Article 8

1. Member States shall prepare the tables of the Community schedule at national, regional and district levels.

In drawing up the Community outline of tables in accordance with Article 7, the Commission may decide that certain tables are not applicable in certain Member States at district level.

2. With the exception of the Netherlands, the results of the survey shall be broken down by less-favoured agricultural areas, within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive 75/268/EEC (1), or by groups of such areas and broken down by other agricultural areas or by groups of such areas. The Commission and the Member States shall together decide on the groupings of less-favoured agricultural areas on the one hand and of other agricultural areas on the other.

Article 9

Member States shall: (a) transcribe the results referred to in Article 8 on to magnetic tape in accordance with a program which is standard for all Member States, the method and program of transcription being drawn up in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 12;

(b) submit the magnetic tapes referred to in (a) to the Statistical Office of the European Communities. They shall be submitted within 18 months at the latest of completion of the field work. Where all the results referred to in Article 8 cannot be submitted within the aforesaid period the Member States concerned and the Commission shall together fix a period, not exceeding 12 months, for the submission of the remaining tables.

Article 10

The information referred to in Article 8 shall be communicated to the Statistical Office of the European Communities in such a form that the holdings concerned cannot be identified.

Article 11

In cooperation with the Member States, the Commission shall publish the results contained in the Community schedule tables.

Article 12

1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is invoked, the matter shall be referred to in Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics (hereinafter (1)OJ No L 128, 19.5.1975, p. 1.

referred to as "the Committee") by its chairman, either on his own initiative or at the request of the representative of a Member State.

2. The Commission representative shall submit to the Committee a draft of measures to be taken. The Committee shall give its opinion on that draft within a time limit set by the chairman having regard to the urgency of the matter. Opinions shall be delivered by a majority of 41 votes, the votes of the Member States being weighted as provided in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty. 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 that event, 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 a qualified majority, may take a different decision within one month.

Article 13

1. Member States shall supply the Commission, if necessary, with any information it may require of them in order to carry out the tasks covered by this Regulation.

2. The information collected by the Member States under the survey must be available in those Member States, as far as is technically possible, until the next general survey carried out under the FAO or at Community level.

3. Further tables may be added to the schedule referred to in Article 7 in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 12 ; in such cases the financial cost to the Member States shall be examined.

4. If the Commission undertakes further studies, the Member States shall as necessary and as far as possible provide the information requested by the Commission. This shall be done by joint agreement between the Commission and the Member State concerned, subject, in particular, to the necessary guarantee of statistical confidentiality.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 19 December 1977.

For the Council

The President

H. SIMONET

ANNEX LIST OF CHARACTERISTICS

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