Summary and conclusions

The Member States of the European Union are required by EU legislation to provide Eurostat with regular data on livestock, slaughterings and production forecasts (gross domestic production). The various Member States implement the Directives differently, and the study looks in detail at the methods used in each country. The annex contains a tabular overview of the methodology of animal statistics in the EU Member States and candidate states.

Pursuant to Council Directive 97/77/EC of 16 December 1997, the Commission may, if so requested, authorise Member States to carry out just two pig surveys a year (in May/June and November/December). Authorisation is conditional on appropriate methods being used to ensure that the quality of the forecasts is maintained. The Member States must, if requested, provide appropriate methodological documentation. To date, the Commission has authorised Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom to carry out only two surveys of their pig populations.

Pursuant to Article 1(2) of Council Directive 93/23/EEC, 93/24/EEC and 93/25/EEC of 1 June 1993, Member States may, at their request, be authorised to use administrative sources instead of statistical surveys. Article 1(3) provides for the Commission to decide on such requests in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 17. This means that all countries which wish to use administrative data instead of statistical surveys must apply to the Commission for authorisation. The Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics is then asked for its opinion on the request. Opinions require 54 votes in order to be adopted. This procedure is compulsory for any country wishing to use administrative sources rather than statistical surveys.

The present study also examines the methodology of animal statistics in the candidate states. New Member States are obliged to adopt the Community acquis, which also extends to agricultural statistics. The candidate states' animal production statistics do not yet conform with EU rules. The present study is an opportunity for the candidate states to familiarise themselves with the methods used by the Member States and to draw appropriate conclusions for their own agricultural statistics. Moreover, experts from the Working Party on Animal Production Statistics will, in future, be taking a regular look at the candidate states' progress in the area of animal statistics, with a view to supporting the development of those statistics and helping to bring them into line with EU legislation. The present study provides a basis for that discussion.