Sources of data:
In the case of private holdings: the representative agricultural survey implemented between 26 November and 15 December 2017. The questionnaires could be filled in electronically between 18 and 23 November 2017. Filling in the questionnaire electronically was obligatory for key private holdings. The private holdings which were part of the sample and submitted their questionnaire electronically for the 2016 farm structure survey (Agrárium 2016) also had the opportunity for supplying data this way.
Methodology of sampling: the sample of the survey is based on the agricultural census carried out in 2010 (AC 2010) and the farm structure survey conducted in 2016 (FSS 2016). From the 13,633 agricultural survey districts in Hungary 648 were chosen, which were fully observed (house to house method) by enumerators. In the survey, questionnaires were filled in for all holdings surveyed in 2017, irrespective of whether on 1 December 2017 they met the criterion of an agricultural holding as described below. Questionnaires were filled in also for new holdings that were established in the preceding half-year.
An 'agricultural holding' means a single unit, both technically and economically, which has a single management and which produces agricultural products and
- they used at least
- 1500 m2 of productive land area (arable land, kitchen gardens, orchards, vineyards, grassland (meadows + pastures), forests, fish-ponds and reeds together), or
- 500 m2 of orchards and vineyards together, or
- 500 m2 of arable land area and plantation-type area together, or
- 100 m2 of land area under cover, or
- 50 m2 of mushroom area, or
- kept
- one head of bigger live animals such as cattle, buffaloes, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, etc., or
- 50 heads of poultry (chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and guinea fowls together), or
- 25 heads of rabbits, or
- 25 heads of furry animals, or
- 25 heads of pigeons for slaughter, or
- 5 beehives, or
- performed agricultural services.
Thus a total of 106 thousand households, within this 24.3 thousand holdings were included in the sample, which was 5.8 % of all private holdings.
Besides the above another group of key private holdings was designated. They were selected according to the following criteria or thresholds: 150 cattle, 300 pigs, 25 horses, 500 sheep, 40 goats, 20,000 chickens, 5,000 geese, 10,000 ducks, 5,000 turkeys, 120 guinea fowls, 300 rabbits, 200 pigeons for slaughter, 300 beehives, 50 ostriches, 10 emus, 200 furry animals, 250 hectares of arable land, 17 hectares of vineyards, 20 hectares of orchards, 100 hectares of forests and 150 hectares of grassland. The number of key holdings selected upon completion of at least one criterion was 3,423.
Estimated data contain the figures of poultry, rabbit and beehive stocks of households not reaching the threshold of a holding.
In the data collection:
Agricultural enterprises: enterprises with or without legal personality.
Private holdings: households engaged in agricultural activities and individual entrepreneurs with tax number.
Holdings: private holdings and agricultural enterprises.
Full-scale observation was applied in the case of agricultural enterprises keeping animals. This group supplied data compulsorily via the HCSO Elektra system.
Calculation of livestock size
The livestock of private holdings is estimated by sample estimation of means by counties and strata, completed with the data on exhaustively surveyed key private holdings. The data on private holdings and the data on agricultural enterprises coming from exhaustive survey together result in livestock on country level.