Commission Decision (94/434/EC)

Having regard to Council Directive 93/25/EEC of 1 June 1993 on the statistical surveys to be carried out on sheep and goat production 1, and in particular Articles 1 (4), 2 (2), 3 (2) and (3), 7 (1), 10 (1) and (2) and 13 (3) thereof,

Whereas precise definitions are required in order to carry out the surveys provided for in Directive 93/25/EEC; whereas this first requires the definition of the agricultural holdings covered by the survey; whereas the individual categories into which the survey results are to be broken down must also be precisely defined, and the herd size classes and regions according to which the Member States draw up the survey results at regular intervals must be determined; whereas a single definition of carcass weight is necessary for the drawing-up of slaughtering statistics;

Whereas, according to Directive 93/25/EEC, the Member States may, at their request, be authorized to use administrative sources instead of statistical surveys and the prescribed breakdown by herd size classes for the final results of even-numbered years;

Whereas applications have be made by the Member States for the above mentioned types of authorization;

Whereas, since Directive 93/25/EEC is applicable as from 1 January 1994, it is appropriate to apply the provisions of this Decision with effect from the same date;

Whereas this Decision is in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics,

Article 1

1. For the purposes of Article 2 (2) of Directive 93/25/EEC, 'agricultural holding' means any technical and economic unit under single management which produces agricultural products.

agricultural holdings with a utilized agricultural area of 1 ha or more;

agricultural holdings with a utilized agricultural area of less than 1 ha, if their production is to a certain extent intended for sale or if their production unit exceeds certain natural thresholds.

3. Member States wishing to apply a different survey threshold shall, however, undertake to determine that threshold in such a way that only the smallest holdings are excluded, and that together the holdings excluded account for 1 % or less of the total standard gross margin, within the meaning of Commission Decision 85/377/EEC3, of the Member State concerned.

Article 2

The definitions of the categories of sheep and goat referred to in Article 3 (1) and Article 13 (2) of Directive 93/25/EEC are set out in Annex I.

Article 3

The territorial subdivisions referred to in Article 7 (1) of Directive 93/25/EEC are set out in Annex II.

Article 4

The breakdown provided for in Article 10 of Directive 93/25/EEC is set out in Annex III.

Article 5

The carcass weight referred to in Article 13 (1) of Directive 93/25/EEC is defined in Annex IV.

Article 6

1. Pursuant to Article 1 (3) of Directive 93/25/EEC, the Member States listed in point (a) of Annex V are authorized to use administrative sources instead of statistical surveys.

2. Pursuant to Article 10 (2) of Directive 93/25/EEC, the Member States listed in point (b) of Annex V are authorized to use the breakdown by herd size classes for the final results of even-numbered years.

Article 7

Article 8

Article 9

ANNEX I

Definition of categories

Females of the ovine species which have already lambed at least once as well as those which have been put to the ram for the first time.

Ewes which are kept exclusively or principally to produce milk for human consumption and/or for processing into dairy products.

This includes cast milk sheep (whether fattened or not between their last lactation and slaughtering).

ANNEX II

Territorial subdivisions

Austria: Bundesländer

Belgium: Région/Gewest

Denmark: -

Finland: Etelä-Suomi-Uusimaa
Itä-Suomi
Väli-Suomi
Pohjois-Suomi

Germany: Bundesländer

Greece: The regions of the Regional Development Service

Spain: País Vasco
Navarra
La Rioja
Aragón
Cataluña
Baleares
Castilla y Léon
Madrid
Castilla-La Mancha
Comunidad Valenciana
Región de Murcia
Extremadura
Andalucía
other Comunidades Autónomas

France: for sheep, the following regions:
Midi-Pyrénées
Poitou-Charentes
Limousin
Aquitaine
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Auvergne
other regions

for goats, the following regions:
Rhône-Alpes
Poitou-Charentes
Centre-Pays-de-la-Loire
Bourgogne
Midi-Pyrénées
other regions

Ireland: -

Italy: for sheep: Regioni

for goats: Regioni:
Piemonte
Lombardia
Toscana
Lazio
Campania
Puglia
Basilicata
Calabria
Sicilia
Sardegna
other regions

Luxembourg: -

Netherlands: Provincies

Portugal: Regiões

Sweden: for sheep: 8 Riksomraaden

for goats: -

United Kingdom: Standard Regions

ANNEX III

TABLE 1

Size classes of sheep stocks held

TABLE 2

Size classes of goat stocks held

ANNEX IV

Definition of carcass weight

Carcass weight is the weight of the slaughtered animal's cold body after having been bled, skinned and eviscerated, and after removal of the head (severed at the atlanto-occipital joint), of the feet (severed at the carpo-metacarpal or tarso-metatarsal joints), of the tail (severed between the sixth and seventh caudal vertebrae) and of the genital organs (including udder).

ANNEX V

Member States authorized to use administrative sources instead of statistical surveys.

Member States authorized to use the breakdown by herd size classes for the final results of even-numbered years.