10.04.10 - Agriculture, hunting, wildlife conservation
Annual.
Reference date 31 July.
County. Municipality.
430 - Division for Primary Industry Statistics
§§2-1, 3-2..
Council Regulation no. 571/88 and 2467/96, Commision Regulation no. 2000/115.
Statistics are reported both to EU and FAO.
The purpose is to obtain information about the number of agricultural holdings, their size and type of farming and the input of agricultural area in use and number of livestock.
Separate, complete agricultural censuses were held in 1907, 1918, 1929, 1939, 1949, 1959, 1969 and 1999. In 1979 and 1989 full censuses of agriculture and forestry were held. The results from the full censuses provided important input to planning, clarification and decision-making by public authorities and agricultural administration at central and local level. As from 2000, Statistics Norway has established an integrated system for yearly updating the agricultural population of holdings and holders by matching several administrative and statistical registers.
The main users of the statistics are the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute, the Agricultural Budget Commission, the Norwegian Farmers Union, the Norwegian Smallholders Union etc.
The statistics comprises all active farms with production for sale.
As from 2000, the total population of holdings is established by use of the administrative Farm Register combined with various other administrative data sources and statistical registers:
Not relevant.
Not relevant.
The statistics are based on collocation of data files that have been separately edited when established.
3-4 per cent of the holdings do not apply for governmental grants. For most of these holdings, agricultural area in use and livestock are derived from data on deliveries of cereals and oil seed and delivered animals to the slaughterhouses etc.
Figures are not presented if there is a risk of identifying any unit.
A single unit both technically and economically, which has single management and which produces agricultural products. The holding is independent of municipality boundaries. The agricultural holding's headquarter must be located to an agricultural property.
Agricultural land that is harvested at least once during a year, including planted area of permanent crops, where no harvest has been produced so far. Includes also arable land included in the crop rotation system with no intention to produce a harvest during the year, but which will be harvested the next year.
The type of farming of a holding is determined by the contribution ratio of the different crop and livestock enterprises to its total agricultural production. The standard gross margin is applied as the common measurement of the various enterprises (crop and livestock).
The standard gross margin (SGM) is the balance between the standard value of output and the standard value of certain direct costs. SGMs are calculated at regional level per area unit (decare, square metre) and head of livestock for related crops and livestock categories. The SGM for an enterprise within the holding is the SGM per area unit/head of livestock multiplied by the total of the relevant crop/livestock category. The total SGM of the holding is the sum of all enterprises run by the holding.
County where the holding is located, size of holding expressed in decares of utilized agricultural area and type of farming of the holding.
The most important source of error is that the holders may fill in incorrect information when they apply for governmental grants. In most cases this will be discovered and corrected by the local agricultural authority. Nevertheless, occasional errors that do not influence on the holders grants can be ignored. Furthermore, errors may also originate during the scanning of the forms despite of the fact that controls are executed.
Not relevant.
Not relevant.
It is difficult to decide whether a holding not applying for governemntal grants is operated on the reference date (31 July) ore not.
The statistics are essentially comparable with information from the previous complete censuses. Censuses up to 1979 included all cultivation of crops and all livestock, irrespective of holding size. In previous census publications, many tables were limited to comprise holdings operating at least 5 decares of agricultural land. Almost all the agricultural business took place at these holdings, whereas holdings operating less than 5 decares generally represented hobby-like production for own household consumption.
From 1989 to 1999 the number of joint operations with cow/goat milk production increased greatly. These holdings were registered without agricultural area in use. Instead, area used for the production of feed and pasturing was allocated to holdings of those involved in joint operations. If the 1999 Census had included only holdings operating at least 5 decares of agricultural area, a substantial part of cattle rearing would have been excluded as well as some quite substantial horticulture holdings. Most of the tables from the 1999 and later therefore include some holdings operating less than 5 decares of agricultural area. In censuses before 1999 the holdings were limited by municipal boundaries. In 2009, a governmental grant was introduced for holdings keeping at least 25 beehives. From 2008 to 2009 this caused an increase of about 300 holdings with solely beehives.
Agricultural area and crops
Two conditions refer to the definition of agricultural area:
As from the 1990’s it was possible to receive subsidies for unfertilized fenced-in pasture, so-called infield pasturelands. Previously such areas had to be fertilized and were thus referred to as fertilized pasture. In previous censuses (primarily the 1989 Census), fertilized pasture was lumped together with natural meadows and surface-cultivated meadows. The introduction of infield pasturelands has led to the inclusion of some new areas as agricultural area. From 1989 to 1999 the area of surface-cultivated meadows and infield pasturelands increased with a total of 418 000 decares. One important reason for this relatively great increase is the fact that introduction of area-based subsidies made it more profitable for the farmers to include also marginal agricultural land in their applications.
In previous censuses, lawns and ornamental gardens were included in agricultural area. In the 1989 Agricultural Census, lawns and ornamental gardens constituted 46 000 decares. In the 1999 Agricultural Census and later, agricultural area does not include lawns and ornamental gardens at the holdings.
Furthermore, it should be noted that in 1999 and later, crop areas are given in decares without decimals. In previous censuses, all crop areas were given in decares with one decimal. Thus areas less than 1 decare is scarcely included in 1999. This is largely reflected in the figures for potatoes, field-grown vegetables, fruit and berries, and particularly for the number of holdings growing these crops.
Livestock
The livestock figures are as per 31 July, except sheep for which the census date is 1 June, or the day they are released for grazing. In previous censuses, the census day has been 20 June or 1 June. Postponing the date by 1-2 months hardly affects livestock figures. Optimizing the number of animals in relation to the registration date of application for subsidy is probably of more significance.
Based on application for govermental grants, The Norwegian Agricultural Authority give statistics on livestock and use of agricultural area. Statistics Norway includes holdings which do not apply for governmental grants when working out statistics about structure of agricultural holdings. These holdings constitutes about 3-4 per cent of all holdings, and 1 per cent of agricultural area in use.
The statistics is released on the internest-site of Statistics Norway: Structure of Agriculture
A data file with anonymous individual data is stored at Statistics Norway.
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