FADN CZ SELECTION PLAN

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The FADN selection plan for the Czech Republic

English Summary

Liaison Agency FADN CZ

Research Institute of Agricultural Economics

October, 2004 Prague

General information

The Farm Selection Plan for the FADN was drawn up and updated gradually together with the implementation process of the FADN. The current selection plan was prepared for the period starting with the accounting year 2004. The selection plan is based on the data of whole scale farm structure survey Agrocenzus 2000 which was updated by results of FSS 2003 organized by the Czech Statistical Office in 2003/2004.

Among others, EU experts contributed to the preparation of the existing plan during a PHARE project, which was held in 2004.

Typology of agricultural holdings

The typology of agricultural holdings was applied in the sense of Commission Decision 85/377/EEC establishing a Community typology for agricultural holdings and in compliance with the current amendments and methodological instructions of Eurostat related to the farm structure survey FSS 2003.

Newly updated standard gross margins (SGM) 2000 were used for these purposes. Their values are listed in the Annex, the Table no 1.

Classification of the farm population based on FSS 2000/2003

The data from the whole scale survey of Agrocenzus 2000 updated by data from FSS 2003 created the basis for the classification of farm population using SGM 2000.

For each group of farms, basic indicators were calculated, which indicate the share of the given group in the total cultivated land, the share in the total SGM, and share in the total number of livestock units.

Regional aspect of the selection

As regards the FADN selection plan, the regionalization was not applied due to a small number of specific categories of holdings in farm population. This means that the entire FADN sample is one region in the Czech Republic. However, in the process of selection of farms to the FADN sample, certain regional criteria are applied at the national level.

Selection plan and a present structure of the FADN sample

A basic framework of the selection plan was drawn up on the basis of the described statistical tests. This plan was modified further in categories of such holdings which, due to the small number of farms in the sample, did not allow publishing their results at the minimum number necessary for publishing. The proposed plan assumes the total number of holdings to be 1 300 which corresponds with the guiding figure defined by the European Commission for the CR.

Selection of farms in practise

Selection of farms for the FADN sample has not been made randomly due to the limited availability of high-quality accounting on farms, and, due to farmers´ limited willingness to cooperate. Besides the criteria of the selection plan other factors are taken into account in the procedure of the farm selection in practise. Mainly the regional distribution of holdings, in terms of administrative regions (up to NUTS3), and also in terms of natural regions (production areas, LFA), is considered in order to achieve a maximum representativeness of the sample.

The farm selection itself is carried out in cooperation with accounting offices. There is no central organisation providing accounting services for agriculture in the CR. Therefore, it is necessary to cooperate with approximately 10 accountant and consulting companies which collect data for the FADN accounts on the basis of the contract with the FADN Liaison Agency.

Conclusion

The FADN sample of the CR is still in the development process. Each year some holdings are added, predominantly those with a specialised type of farming and in some insufficiently represented regions. On the other hand, for the most important groups of farms the FADN sample has already been representative enough for several years. Statistical tests of representativeness of surveys in the FADN sample are performed with positive results annually. A very frequent utilisation of the FADN database in the CR manifests the validity of FADN data, too.

Updating of farms in the FADN sample could be an issue. With regard to a very small total number of holdings in some strata, the alteration might be difficult in the future. An update of the selection plan is assumed in case of a significant structural change in agriculture detected in the FSS.