EN Official Journal of the European Union L 190/8

COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 715/2014

of 26 June 2014

amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural production methods, as regards the list of characteristics to be collected in the farm structure survey 2016

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural production methods (1), and in particular Article 7(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 provides for a programme of surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings up to 2016.

(2) There is a need to collect data for monitoring the implementation of measures associated with the revision of the common agricultural policy after 2013. Additionally, there is a need to collect data for monitoring the implementation of measures associated with rural development (2).

(3) There is a lack of statistical information on the use of nutrients, irrigation and agricultural production methods linked with structural data at the level of individual holdings. Therefore it is necessary to improve the collection of information on nutrient and water use and agricultural production methods on agricultural holdings; to provide additional statistics for the development of agri-environmental policy; and to improve the quality of agri-environmental indicators.

(4) The amendment of the list of characteristics is based on the principle that the overall burden will remain balanced, as those variables which are obsolete due to changes in related legislation or variables omitted in 2016 on an one-off basis are dropped while others are added, mainly due to growing and changing needs for agricultural statistical information linked to the new common agricultural policy towards 2020, notably with regard to the enhancement of its environmental performance and the related agro-environmental information needed, considering also that the level of EU financial contribution to the survey remains constant.

(5) Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 is replaced by the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 26 June 2014. For the Commission The President José Manuel BARROSO

(1) OJ L 321, 1.12.2008, p. 14.

(2) Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 487).