Abstract:

The first Farm Structure Survey carried by all EU28 members in about the same time and according to the same Regulation took place in 2010. Based on the data collected, Romania has the highest number of agricultural holdings from the European Union. Beside particular historical and social factors that led to the burst of small agriculture exploitations, the result seems also due to a difference in the methodology applied by Romania compared to other EU members. Although all states used the same definition of the holding, the thresholds applied in order to identify the target population units were different. While most of the countries followed the minimal thresholds indicated by EC 1166/2008 and 10 countries even decided to increase them, Romania chose to eliminate almost any minimal condition regarding the agricultural area used, the livestock or the volume of the agricultural production obtained by a holding. By consequence, the total number of farms reported also includes entities with an insignificant economic value that hardly can be compared to the agricultural holdings reported by other countries. The solution would be to set up physical thresholds in choosing the Romanian units surveyed taking into consideration the national particularities but also the economic value of the targeted holdings.