Teagasc: National Farm Survey
An Overview
Agricultural Statistics Liaison Group (ASLG)
Date: Wednesday October 12th, 2011
Time: 1.30pm
Venue: Department of Agriculture, Kildare Street,
Dublin
Overview
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The Background & Objectives
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The Team
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The Process
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The Data & The Outputs
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The Future
NFS – Background & Objectives
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Established due to the requirement under REGULATION No 79/65/EEC OF
THE COUNCIL of 15 June 1965
Long running – First started in 1972
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Has run consecutively for 39 years
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Provide Statutory Irish Data to EU Commission (FADN)
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Determine Output, Costs, Incomes By Farm System(6), Size(7) & Regions
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Provide Database of Micro Data on Irish Agriculture for Research, Policy
analysis & Stakeholders
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Measure Variation in Technical and Financial performance for Farm
Management/Advisory Purposes
The Team
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Rural Economic Development Program (REDP)
 Agricultural Economics & Farm Surveys Department
 Operate the National Farm Survey
 Dr. Thia Hennessy – Head of National Farm Survey
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16 Data Collectors
4 Internal Staff
 1 Admin
 1 Researcher
 2 Technical Staff
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Process 1,200 Farm Accounts Annually
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Carry out 1 Additional Survey each year
The Process
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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
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National Farm Survey Report, Estimates & Final Results
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Database of Micro Data on Irish Farms
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EU - FADN
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REPS Report
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Standard Gross Output Data
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Organic Data-DAFF
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Input data on costs for CSO
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Investment/ Machinery Hire / Quota Leased / Regional Tables
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Data for Teagasc Advisory - Management Data
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Data for Teagasc Research - Outlook Conference
Family Farm Income (FFI)
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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
25,000
€16,939
€/farm
20,000
€17,771
15,000
10,000
€12,190
5,000
0
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
FADN
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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).
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Ireland has a statutory obligation to provide data on Irish farm output, costs and
incomes to FADN
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Consists on an Annual Survey completed by each member state
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Only source of harmonised micro-economic data
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Representative 3 dimensions, Region, Size and type of farming
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Most important source of information on European farms
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Currently sample is comprised of 80,000 holdings
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Represent 6.4 million farms in EU-25
 Represents 90% total UAA
 Represents 90% of total Agricultural Production
Data Requirements
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Require approximately 1000 variables per farm
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Physical & Structural Data
 Crop Area, Animal numbers, labour force
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Economic & Financial Data
 Production, Stocks, Sales & Purchases, Costs, Assets, Liabilities, Quotas,
Subsidies etc..
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The FADN Farm Return is more limited in its coverage of farming activities than our
own National survey
The Future
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NFS Re-Structuring Plan
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Reduction in Data Collectors from 16 to 11
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Increase in the minimum threshold for inclusion in the sample
 Increase from €4K SO to €8K SO
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Reduction in the sample numbers of farms included
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Sample Coverage
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Collaboration with other Data holders e.g. Co-operatives etc
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Agriculture still important to economy
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Allows monitoring of sector
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Provides basis for evaluating policy