Teagasc: National Farm Survey

An Overview

Agricultural Statistics Liaison Group (ASLG)Date: Wednesday October 12th, 2011Time: 1.30pmVenue: Department of Agriculture, Kildare Street, Dublin

Overview

The Background & Objectives

The Team

The Process

The Data & The Outputs

The Future

NFS – Background & Objectives

Established due to the requirement under REGULATION No 79/65/EEC OF THE COUNCIL of 15 June 1965

Long running – First started in 1972

Has run consecutively for 39 years

Provide Statutory Irish Data to EU Commission (FADN)

Determine Output, Costs, Incomes By Farm System(6), Size(7) & Regions

Provide Database of Micro Data on Irish Agriculture for Research, Policy analysis & Stakeholders

Measure Variation in Technical and Financial performance for Farm Management/Advisory Purposes

The Team

Rural Economic Development Program (REDP) Agricultural Economics & Farm Surveys Department Operate the National Farm Survey Dr. Thia Hennessy – Head of National Farm Survey

16 Data Collectors 4 Internal Staff

1 Admin 1 Researcher 2 Technical Staff

Process 1,200 Farm Accounts Annually

Carry out 1 Additional Survey each year

The Process

Farms are visited 2-3 times per year An accounts book is completed Complete additional surveys Submitted for validation and processing by internal staff Farm Management Reports are generated Populations from CSO Produce the NFS Final Report Year end evaluate/optimise the sample Request replacement farms from the CSO Farmers participation is voluntary Undertake not to publish individual farmers data – guarantee of confidentiality Increased collaboration with DAFF

AIM systems / SFP Applications Data / Payments Data Finalise FADN data

The Data & The Outputs

National Farm Survey Report, Estimates & Final Results

Database of Micro Data on Irish Farms

EU - FADN

REPS Report

Standard Gross Output Data

Organic Data-DAFF

Input data on costs for CSO

Investment/ Machinery Hire / Quota Leased / Regional Tables

Data for Teagasc Advisory - Management Data

Data for Teagasc Research - Outlook Conference

Family Farm Income (FFI)

Principal measure of income used by the NFS

calculated by deducting all farm costs from gross output

family labour is not included as a cost

return to family labour, management and investment

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

€/f

arm

€17,771

€12,190

€16,939

FADN

The Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) is an instrument for evaluating the

income of agricultural holdings and the impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy

(CAP). Ireland has a statutory obligation to provide data on Irish farm output, costs and

incomes to FADN Consists on an Annual Survey completed by each member state Only source of harmonised micro-economic data Representative 3 dimensions, Region, Size and type of farming Most important source of information on European farms Currently sample is comprised of 80,000 holdings Represent 6.4 million farms in EU-25

Represents 90% total UAA Represents 90% of total Agricultural Production

Data Requirements

Require approximately 1000 variables per farm

Physical & Structural Data

Crop Area, Animal numbers, labour force

Economic & Financial Data

Production, Stocks, Sales & Purchases, Costs, Assets, Liabilities, Quotas, Subsidies etc..

The FADN Farm Return is more limited in its coverage of farming activities than our own National survey

The Future

NFS Re-Structuring Plan

Reduction in Data Collectors from 16 to 11

Increase in the minimum threshold for inclusion in the sample

Increase from €4K SO to €8K SO

Reduction in the sample numbers of farms included

Sample Coverage

Collaboration with other Data holders e.g. Co-operatives etc

Agriculture still important to economy

Allows monitoring of sector

Provides basis for evaluating policy