5. 5. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 118/9 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision on special support for the development of agricultural statistics 
in Ireland 
COM(88) 183 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 20 April 1988) 
(88/C 118/06) 
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, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas it is necessary, for effective and balanced 
implementation of the common agricultural policy in 
Ireland, to have statistical information of satisfactory 
scope and reliability on agricultural holdings and mainly 
on farming activity undertaken on agricultural holdings 
in that country; 
Whereas the implementation of an effective system for 
recording statistics which are mainly based on farm 
holdings in the agricultural sector in Ireland will be in 
the interest of the Community and will contribute to the 
attainment of the objectives defined in Article 39 (1) (a) 
of the Treaty; 
Whereas, for technical and organizational reasons 
fundamental and far-reaching changes to the system for 
collecting and processing of basic information relating to 
agricultural holdings should be made from 1988 to 
permit Ireland to meet, both from a qualitative and a 
quantitative point of view, the needs for statistical data 
required for the formulation and the follow-up of the 
common agricultural policy; 
Whereas, on account of economic and budgetary 
constraints, Ireland does not have sufficient means to 
undertake the considerable development work necessary 
to introduce an effective and reliable new survey system; 
Whereas a Community contribution towards financing 
the measures to be taken must be envisaged without, 
however, making expenditure chargeable to the 
Community budget which relates to administrative costs or personnel within the meaning of Article 1 (4) of 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 of 21 April 1970 
on the financing of the common agricultural policy ('), 
as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3769/85 (2); 
Whereas the three-year programme (hereinafter called 
'the programme') submitted by Ireland to meet 
Community requirements in the area of agricultural stat­
istics involves overall expenditure of 7 million ECU and 
whereas the Community contribution should not exceed 
half of that sum; 
Whereas, while Ireland should retain responsibility for 
the management of the programme in the light of 
existing administrative structures, certain conditions 
should be laid down to guarantee optimum utilization of 
the Community's financial contribution; 
Whereas the Community must be able to ensure that the 
measures taken by Ireland will help to attain the 
objectives of the joint action and will fulfil the conditions 
under which the Community financing is granted, and 
whereas the Commission will take the measures required 
to review the programme; 
Whereas a procedure should be laid down whereby the 
Member States and the Commission will cooperate 
closely in the Standing Committee for Agricultural Stat­
istics, 
HAD ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
In order to reorganize a system for compiling and 
processing statistics in the agricultural sector in Ireland 
which will fully satisfy Community requirements in this 
field, Ireland shall ensure: 
(a) the strengthening of the central technical and admin­
istrative infrastructure responsible for organizing, 
programming and implementing the compiling and 
processing of agricultural statistical data; 
(') OJ No L 94, 28. 4. 1970, p. 13. 
O OJ No L 362, 31. 12. 1985, p. 17. 
No C 118/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 5. 5. 88 
(b) the strengthening of the local technical and adminis­
trative infrastructure so that the required surveys are 
carried out in such a manner as to guarantee their 
statistical validity; 
(c) an improved basis for sampling by creating a register 
of agricultural holdings; 
(d) the gradual introduction of a coherent programme of 
statistical surveys, conducted on the basis of samples 
at agricultural holding level, by interviewers chosen 
and specially trained for that purpose. 
Article 2 
Ireland shall ensure that, once the restructuring is 
completed, the organization of the system referred to in 
Article 1 guarantees the carrying out of existing or future 
relevant surveys at Community level and that these 
surveys fulfil the requirements of Community law as 
regards scope and purpose and the reliability and time 
limits prescribed, without any further financial aid being 
granted by the Community, other than the contribution 
provided for in this Decision, except in cases where 
Community contributions are also laid down for the 
other Member States. 
Article 3 
1. The organization of the new system of surveys 
referred to in Article 1 shall take the form of a 
programme which is to begin in 1988 and shall be spread 
over a period of three years (1988 to 1990). The new 
system shall apply in particular to work on agricultural 
statistics, involving surveys on agricultural holdings 
provided for in the statistical programmes of the 
European Communities. 
2. The timetable for the carrying out of the 
programme is laid down in the Annex. 
3. Ireland shall be entitled to submit amendments to 
the running of the programme. The Commission shall 
decide whether such amendments shall be approved, in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 7. 
Article 4 
1. From 1988 to 1990 Ireland shall carry out the 
programme described in the Annex. Ireland shall submit 
in the month of June of each of the years 1988, 1989, 
1990 and 1991 (year V): 
(a) a progress report on the work completed (during 
year t minus 1), detailing particularly information on 
the progress made in the reinforcement of the 
technical and administrative machinery and on the 
experience gained from the implementation of the 
programme. This report shall be accompanied by a 
detailed report (table) on the financing of the 
programme as carried out and on the financial 
aspects of the part supported by Community contri­
bution; (b) the annual detailed programme to be carried out the 
next year (year t+ 1). 
2. At the request of the Commission, Ireland shall 
supply additional information as necessary on the 
progress achieved in implementing the programme. 
3. The report on the progress of work and the annual 
programme are to be approved by the Commission 
according to the procedure as laid down in Article 7. 
Article 5 
The Commission shall take all the necessary steps to 
ensure that the running of the programme enables the 
objectives referred to in Article 1 to be achieved. 
Article 6 
1. The Community shall reimburse to Ireland 50 °/o of 
actual expenditure on the programme up to the amount 
of the appropriations entered for this purpose in the 
general budget of the European Communities. The 
estimated expenditure to be borne by the Community 
amounts to 3,5 million ECU for the programme as a 
whole. 
2. Applications for reimbursement shall refer to the 
sums spent by Ireland during a year and shall be 
presented to the Commission during the year which 
follows together with the report on the progress of work 
as laid down in Article 4 (1). 
Article 7 
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is to 
be followed, the matter shall be referred to the Standing 
Committee on Agricultural Statistics by its chairman, 
either on this own initiative or at the request of the 
representative of a Member State. 
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit 
to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. 
The Standing Committee on Agricultural statistics shall 
give its opinion on these measures within a time limit 
which may be set by the chairman in accordance with 
the urgency of the maters submitted for discussion. It 
shall act by a majority of 54 votes, the votes of the 
Member States being weighted as laid down in Article 
148 (2) of the Treaty. The Chairman shall not vote. 
3. The Commission shall adopt the measures, which 
shall be immediately applicable. However, if they are not 
in accordance with the opinion of the Standing 
Committee on Agricultural Statistics, the Commission 
shall submit them to the Council without delay; if this is 
done, the Commission may delay the application of the 
proposed measures by not more than one month after 
the date of submission. 
The Council may take a different decision within a 
period of one month, acting by a qualified majority. 
Article 8 
This Decision is addressed to Ireland. 
5. 5. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 118/11 
ANNEX 
Timetable for implementing the three-year development plan 
(1988 to 1990) 
Year 1 (1988) 
The following work programme will be pursued in 1988: 
— large-scale pilot tests of a new postal survey approach will be undertaken in tandem with the traditional 
enumerator survey system, 
— the results of the pilot tests will be examined to determine optimum survey procedures with particular 
attention being paid to questionnaire design, dispatch and receipt of forms, non-response follow-up 
procedure and data processing requirements, 
— direct comparisons will be made between data obtained through use of the new and existing survey 
procedures with a view to establishing linkages which will allow continuity to be maintained in the 
population estimates produced in the interim changeover period, 
— available administrative sources will be examined to determine their statistical potential and, in 
particular, the extent to which they can be incorporated into a comprehensive and up-to-date register 
system for agricultural holdings, 
— the programme for the acquisition of computer and other necessary support equipment (hardware and 
software) will be commenced, 
— work will be started on the development of computer systems etc. for the handling and processing of 
the surveys, 
— training programmes for personnel engaged in the conduct and processing of the surveys will be 
initiated. 
Year 2 (1989) 
The programme of work outlined for 1988 will be continued with the following key features or additions: 
— the changeover to a fully postal system for the annual sample inquiries will be completed and the new 
system thus established will be maintained on an interim basis pending the completion of the overall 
development programme, 
— Preparations will be made for the fieldwork, to be undertaken in 1990, for the establishment of a new 
comprehensive register of holdings, 
— the computer processing systems etc. will be developed so as to handle a full-scale census of agriculture 
to be held in conjunction with the register fieldwork in 1990. 
Year 3 (1990) 
The programme of work initiated in the previous two years will be brought to a completion in 1990, with 
the establishment of a computer-based register of holdings following an extensive field operation in June 
1990. 
The new register will be used to launch a permanent series of annual postal surveys in early 1991 which 
will replace the interim series established in 1989. Procedures for maintaining the base register up to date, 
through linkage with administrative records and the use of special surveys, will also be put in place.