Whole frame of agricultural holdings

The whole frame is formed by the agricultural holdings as defined in chapter IFS Core. It includes, among others, the common land units. It excludes, among others:

• Holdings having only kitchen gardens (no market activity).
• Holdings clearly producing farming goods only for their own subsistence, without market activity (e.g. households with 10 chicken producing eggs and meat for the family).

Coverage or frame of data collections

In IFS 2023, Member States shall provide data representative of the agricultural holdings and common land units that meet at least one of the physical thresholds listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 with regard to the size of agricultural land or the number of livestock units.

Table 1 – Thresholds according to Annex II of Regulation (EU) 20181091 (IFS thresholds)

Note: The Member State should discard from the list in Table 1 those thresholds that relate to variables that are not existent or not significant in the Member State.

The holdings that meet at least one of the IFS thresholds mentioned in Table 1 form the so-called main frame. 

For IFS 2023, Eurostat does not require data on holdings in the frame extension (below all IFS thresholds). However, countries may additionally transmit data for holdings in frame extension to Eurostat, if they collect them (optional).

For IFS 2023, the relevant populations for CORE and for the modules are defined in the below pictures.  

Special cases

I. Raising the thresholds

Where the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds cover more than 98 % of the national agricultural production measured by the standard output (SO), Member States may, subject to prior approval by Eurostat, establish higher physical or corresponding economic thresholds to reduce the coverage, as long as the 98 % coverage of the UAA (excluding kitchen gardens) and 98 % coverage of the LSUs of the Member States is still reached.

This specific case is presented in detail below.

If a Member State finds that the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds cover more than 98 % of the standard output of the whole frame, then it may require prior approval to Eurostat to use higher (physical or economic) thresholds, with the condition that the higher thresholds cover at least 98% of the UAA (excluding kitchen gardens) and at least 98 % of the LSUs. With the request for prior approval, the Member States should demonstrate that:

1. the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds cover more than 98 % of the standard output of the whole frame;
2. the holdings above at least one of the raised thresholds cover at least 98% of the UAA (excluding kitchen gardens) and at least 98 % of the LSUs of the whole frame.

a. How to demonstrate that the standard output condition is met by the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds

In practice it is almost impossible to know the total standard output of the whole frame because it is almost impossible to know the total standard output of the holdings below the IFS thresholds.

Let's use the following notation:

N_a =number of holdings above at least one of the raised thresholds

N_b =number of holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds and under the raised thresholds

N_c =number of holdings under the IFS thresholds

SO_a =average standard output of the holdings above at least one of the raised thresholds

SO_b =average standard output of the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds and under the raised thresholds

SO_c =average standard output of the holdings under the IFS thresholds

Then Total SO = N_a× SO_a + N_b× SO_b + N_c× SO_c

The purpose is to show that N_a × SO_a + N_b × SO_b represents at least 98% of the Total SO, or equivalently, that N_c × SO_c represents at most 2% of Total SO. As specified above, SO_c is not usually known in practice. Obviously SO_c should be lower than SO_b . For the demonstration, the Member State can assume the extreme case where SO_c =SO_b , as follows.

There are two equivalent options:

1. If the Member State demonstrates that N_c × SO_b (which is an overestimation of N_c × SO_c ) represents at most 2% of , then it results that N_c × SO_c also represents at most 2% of Total SO.

Example

Let's consider that:

N_a = 200 000, SO_a = 175 000 euro

N_b = 10 000 , SO_b = 1 500 euro

N_c = 100 000. Let's assume the extreme case, that SO_c = SO_b = 1 500 euro.

Total SO = 200 000 x 175 000 euro + 10 000 x 1 500 euro+ 100 000 x 1 500 euro = 35 165 000 000 euro.

N_c × SO_b =100 000 x 1 500 euro= 150 000 000 euro.

N_c × SO_b represents 0.4% of Total SO. As SO_c < SO_b , then N_c × SO_c represents even less than 0.4% of Total SO.

       2. If the Member State demonstrates that the estimated number of holdings under the IFS thresholds needed to fill the 2% of the Total SO.

N_c =2 % × Total SO/SO_b (which is an underestimation of the real N_c , given that SO_b is an overestimation of SO_c ) is higher than the true known N_c , that is N_c = 2%×Total SO/SO_b >N_c or N_c ×SO_b < 2%×Total SO, then it results that N_c × SO_c is also <2%× Total SO.

Example

Let's consider that:

Total SO = 35 165 000 000 euro.
SO_b = 1 500 euro
Using the above formula, N_c = 468 867. This is an underestimation of the real N_c , so we need more than 468 867 under the IFS threshold to fill the 2% of the Total SO.

We have only 100 000 holdings under the IFS thresholds ( N_c is 100 000) which obviously cover less than 2% of the Total SO.

b. How to demonstrate that the 98% UAA (without kitchen gardens) and LSU conditions are met by the holdings over at least one of the raised thresholds

In some cases only one threshold is raised or some thresholds are raised.

• On the basis of a register, the Member State can calculate the share of the total number of hectares or livestock covered by the holdings above the raised threshold in the total number of hectares or livestock covered by the register, and show that the result is at least 98%.
• Otherwise, the Member State can demonstrate that the 98% condition is met by using the example below.

Example

The Regulation requires that all holdings with at least 1.7 LSUs are covered (the IFS threshold). A Member State asks for prior approval to use the threshold 50 pigs (the raised threshold).
Total number of pigs: 27 + 977 + 515
Number of holdings with pigs: 40 + 267
Average number of pigs per holding: 695
Let's assume the extreme case that the average number of pigs per holding under the raised threshold is 49 pigs (just under the raised threshold of 50 pigs). To cover 2% of all pigs in the Member State, we need the following number of holdings with pigs under the raised threshold: N_under = 2%* (27 + 977 + 515) / 49 = 11 419
However it is unlikely to have so many holdings with pigs under the raised thresholds and not covered by the data collection (so meeting only the threshold for pigs) because:

• A part of these holdings are covered having other variables exceeding some other threshold: There are 14 821 holdings having 1 to 49 pigs, but those holdings have on average 40 ha UAA. 13 231 of those 14 821 holdings have other animals with 30.5 LSUs on average.

(The list of proposed thresholds include 10 bovine animals, 50 pigs, 10 breeding sows, 20 sheep, 20 goats, 1000 poultry, 5 ha UAA, 0.5 ha hops etc.)

• There are only 70 holdings solely meeting the thresholds for pigs within the size category between 50 and 100 pigs and it is very unlikely that there exist 11 419 holdings in the size category less than 50 pigs and meeting no other thresholds.
• In the above formula, since the average 49 is overestimated, then 11 419 is underestimated. Therefore the number of holdings under the raised thresholds and not covered should be even larger than 11 419, which is even less likely.

The following should be noted concerning the use of economic threshold(s) instead of IFS physical threshold(s):

• If the economic threshold(s) is (are) equivalent to the IFS physical threshold(s), then it is enough that the Member State use the standard output coefficients to prove the equivalence.
• If the economic threshold(s) is (are) higher than the IFS physical threshold(s), then the Member State should require prior approval and demonstrate that:
  1. The standard output condition is met by the holdings above at least one of the IFS thresholds and

  2. The 98% UAA (without kitchen gardens) and LSU conditions are met by the holdings over at least one of the raised thresholds.

     Does the main frame of the country have to cover holdings with 2 cows? As holdings with 2 cows meet at least one of the IFS thresholds (1.7 LSU), then these holdings should be included in the main frame.  The country can reduce the scope of the main frame by raising the threshold for cows, as long as it requires prior approval from Eurostat and demonstrates that: the holdings in the main frame cover more than 98 % of the standard output of the whole frame  the holdings in the reduced main frame cover at least 98% of the LSUs (and at least 98% of the UAA without kitchen gardens) of the whole frame. In this case, the reduced main frame applies for the data collections of core and modules.

For IFS 2023, the extension of the frame of the data collections is not required.  For IFS 2020, the extension of the frame of the data collections was required and the related information is available in chapter 2.2.4 of the IFS 2020 manual .

II. Exemptions to provide data on the modules "Irrigation" and "Orchard"

Member States that fulfill the below condition are exempted to provide data on "Irrigation" module.

Irrigation (IFS 2023)

Member States with less than 2 % irrigable area of the UAA, and with no NUTS 2 level regions with at least 5 % of irrigable area of the UAA, shall be exempted from carrying out the ‘Irrigation’ module.

Member States that fulfill the below condition should provide data on "Orchard" module, for the crop in question. If the condition is not met for any crop, then the Member State is exempted to provide data on "Orchard" module.

Orchard (IFS 2023)

Member States with at least 1 000 hectares of any of the individual crops, referred to under the detailed topics of the ‘Orchard’ module in Annex IV, producing entirely or mainly for the market, shall carry out the ‘Orchard’ module for that particular crop.