Eurostat

Unit E1, Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics

Statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks are collected under (market) Regulation (EC) No 617/2008. They are the earliest available information to foresee production of poultry meat and eggs, as the numbers of chicks of various utilities placed in the farms of each Member State, i.e. the number of chicks placed by the hatcheries of this Member State increased by the net import of chicks. Hatcheries are establishments for incubating eggs, hatching and supplying chicks (exceptionally almost hatched eggs). They cover statistics on the structure (annual) and the activity (monthly) of hatcheries as well as reports on the external trade of chicks.

As this legal basis is a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) implementing regulation, it is not applied out of EU. Its development in the Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries depends on the overall compliance to the EU acquis and of their interest for this particular sector. The legal deadlines fit to the need of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) but, in practice, they are realistic only in countries with few hatcheries, under provision that placing of imported chicks are limited.

The data are organised in three data sets: the monthly statistics on activity of hatcheries (AH); the monthly statistics on trade of chicks (TC) and the annual statistics on the structure of hatcheries (SH).
The national reports for year 2020 were considered to draft the present report.

The EU metadata provide general statements considering the national situations, but more detailed information is provided in the national reports, accessible by clicking on the national flags on the top of this page.

The statistics on hatcheries are not due by the countries that have no hatchery. Therefore the data are not expected from LU.

The statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks refer to various classifications.

• The population under study is determined according to the NACE Rev. 2 (NACE A.01.47.).
• The variables are classified based on Commission Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 of 27 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards marketing standards for eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks.
• The Combined Nomenclature (CN) is used for
  • trade of chicks
  • reference for the definitions in Regulation (EC) No 617/2008
• Territorial units are defined according to the NUTS classification, established in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS).

Out of the European Statistical System, the Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries may use the United Nations Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) instead of CN.

The statistics cover the hatcheries (an establishment for incubating eggs, hatching and supplying chicks) with at least 1000 incubation places.
The statistics on trade of chicks may cover a slightly different sector, without consideration for the capacity of the hatcheries. Where drawn from Intrastat/Extrastat, national tresholds based on the turnover of the trade transactions may change the coverage.

'capacity' means the maximum number of eggs for hatching of a given poultry species which may be placed simultaneously in incubators. Specific incubators that are used in the last days of incubation (hatchers) are not considered.

‘chicks’ means live farmyard poultry the weight of which does not exceed 185 grammes, either produced in the Community or imported from third countries and falling within subheadings 0105 11 and 0105 19 of the Combined Nomenclature, of the categories listed in Regulation (EC) No 617/2008.

Definition of chicks categories

The following differences between the definitions of chick categories from the Regulation and CN must be noticed:
- only chicks intended to be fattened are considered for ducks, geese, turkeys and Guinea fowls (grandparent and parent are excluded),
- only the females are considered for grandparent and parent chicken chicks,
- the Regulation foresee a category of mixed meat-laying utility chicks that does not exist in CN.

If information is drawn from external trade statistics, Member States need to adjust the statistics to be "fully compatible" with Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 (e.g. excluding male grandparent/parent chickens). For instance, a technical coefficient may be applied.

Regarding statistics on trade of chicks, in most of the Member States (BE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, CY, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, SI, SK, FI and SE) and IS, the applied definitions of chick categories are "fully compatible" with those in Regulation (EC) No 617/ 2008, while there are "at least some differences" in BG, CZ, DK, DE, HR, AT, RO, RS and TR. The IT situation is unknown.

Regarding activity of hatcheries, only BG and DK report "at least some differences" in the applied definitions.

BG, CZ, DK, EE, AT, SI, RS and TR report "at least some differences" regarding the scope of intra-EU and extra-EU trade of chicks compared to Regulation (EC) No 617/ 2008.

BG, DK, RO, SI and RS noticed "at least some differences" on other concept or definition.

A statistical unit is a unit of observation or measurement for which data are collected or derived. The statistical units for the statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks include at least the hatcheries, but the layers can be the statistical units regarding placing of imported chicks. For trade of chicks the statistical population may include all or part of the importers or exporters. How the statistical units are defined and identified (e.g. technical and economic activity of plants or NACE classification of the enterprises) may also affect the results. According to Regulation (EC) No 617/2008, the statistical units may be:

• the hatcheries defined under Article 1 (3): an establishment for incubating eggs, hatching and supplying chicks
• the enterprises where day-chicks are placed
• the agricultural holdings growing chicks, either directly as utility poultry, for fattening or for laying, and
• the establishments growing chicks to be sold as live poultry to the agricultural holdings under the previous bullet point.
• enterprises importing live chicks.

   3.5.1. Statistical units identified

Statistical units for hatchery statistics, imported chicks and exported chicks

The statistics on external trade of chicks are designed to reflect foreign trade of chicks from hatcheries with more than 1,000 incubation places.

   3.5.2 Hatcheries with seasonal activity

Some hatcheries may be active only partly during the year, e.g. for purchasing seasonal producers. Seasonal activity is usually linked to the type of poultry (e.g. turkey, guinea fowl, duck and goose).
The case was not met in FR, CY, LV, LT, MT, NL, PT, SI, FI and IS. The statistics cover these hatchery in BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, EL, ES, HR, HU, AT, RO, SK, RS and TR. In IE, only the statistics trade of chicks cover all chicks and the IT situation is unknown.
Relying on this, the EU statistics on activity of hatcheries properly cover this type of hatcheries and those on trade of chicks are not affected.

   3.5.3. Thresholds

The SH data set explicitly refers to hatcheries with more than 1,000 incubation places. Any other threshold or exclusion criterion may affect the coverage of the statistics. If any different threshold is applied, this threshold must be described. If Intrastat and Extrastat data are used, their thresholds should be explicit.

3.5.3.1. Thresholds for hatchery statistics

Most of the countries refer to hatcheries with more than 1000 incubation places, the minimum coverage required by the Regulation but, in DK and IS, the hatcheries are considered according to tax (Poultry Production Levy Fund in DK) or business register.

3.5.3.2. Thresholds for trade of chicks

In IE, EL, ES, LV, HU, MT, RO, FI, RS and TR no threshold applies. This might be because the foreign trade of animals is subject to veterinary registration without threshold and the statistics cover this population or because the statistics are derived from existing data collection and the reporters are not aware that a national threshold applies.

BG, CZ, DK, DE, HR, LT, AT and PT apply a specific threshold in INTRASTAT (intra-EU imported or exported chicks). Additionally DK and LT apply a specific threshold in EXTRASTAT (extra-EU imported or exported chicks), normally lower, and CZ, HR and AT EXTRASTAT have no threshold. More accurate descriptions can be provided in the national reports.

EE and FR receive also the data from the national custom service but the threshold is unknown by the agricultural statisticians.

In IS, only one legal unit is allowed to import chicks and that there is no chick export.

In SE, only trade conducted through the hatcheries is covered.

SK mentioned that the statistical survey is conducted as census.

A statistical unit is a unit of observation or measurement for which data are collected or derived.

The hatcheries must be registered to be agreed for trade of chicks. These registers may be handled by the veterinary services, the local authorities (EL, ES), professional organisations (NL) or the Minstry of Agriculture. This is the main source for establishing the list of hatcheries which data must be collected (AH). Nevertheless, in some Member States, the lists are established within the statistical services (scope of the statistics on the structure of harcheries). The Tax Register and Business Register are also used in few countries.

The sources for the lists of staitsitcal units (TC) also include the EU TRACES system and, for Intrastat/Extrastat, the Tax and Customs Registers.

 The sources for establishing the lists of statistical units (SH) are the administrative or statistical registers already mentionned for AH.

The reference area is the territory of the EU Member States as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS).

Regulation (EEC) No 2782/75 entered in force on 1 November 1975 and the EEC Member States' notifications are available starting from January 1973.

No base period is used.

The unit of measure of the national questionnaires are the numbers (BE, BG, DK, DE, EE, EL, ES, FR, CY, HU, AT, PT, SK, IS, RS and TR), thousand (CZ, IE, HR, IT, LV, MT, NL, PL, RO, SI, FI and SE) or even million (LT) eggs or chicks regarding activity of hatcheries. The unit is the same for trade of chicks, except in CZ, IT and RO (numbers of chicks). For the structure of hatcheries, the capacity is collected in the same unit as the eggs placed, except in HR, RO (number) and LT (thousand). Finally, the number of hatcheries is directly drawn as an integer number everywhere.

In the Eurostat database, the statistics are expressed in thousand eggs or chicks and the numbers of hatcheries as integer numbers, but the capacitiy classes of the hatcheries refer to integer numbers.

The reference period of the statistics transmitted to Eurostat is the month for activity of hatcheries and trade of chicks and no country reported collecting them more often.

In most of the countries, the statistics on the structure of hatcheries are collected on an annual basis, except in  FR, LV, HU, PT and IS where is derived from the monthly data.

In every EU Member State Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 applies. A national legislation also cover these statistics in BE, BG, CZ, DK, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, IT, LT, HU, AT, PL, RO, SI, SE, IS and TR, but not in  HR, CY, LV, MT, NL and RS. There is a reporting obligation in the first group of countries (except in IS) and not in the second one.

Reference to the national legislations are given in the national reports.

Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 implements the Common Agricultural Policy and Eurostat is only in charge of receiving the data from the Member States.

From reference year 2025 onwards, Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on statistics on agricultural input and output will replace the above legislations and agreements.

The national reports indicates whether the data are obtained from other service/institution/body and whether they are also collected for other service/institution/body at national level.
Only in BG, DE and SI, the data are compiled by the NSI and provided to the Ministry of Agriculture. In IT, on the contrary, the data are compiled by the Minsitryof Agriculture and transfered to the NSI for transmission to Eurostat.

At Eurostat level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
A confidentiality charter for animal production statistics has been adopted in 2016 and should lead to disseminate more EU totals from 2023 on (see the metadata for Animal Production Statistics).

As the legal basis for the statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks is not yet a Statistical Regulation (but see 6.Institutional mandate), the data produced out of the statistical system (EL, HR, SI and FI) may follow a different approach. In DE, though the data are produced by the NSI, the statistical status of the data set is contested and the confidential values are not transmitted.

The confidential data are identified as such by the Member States, based on their national rules to protect confidential information. In Eurostat, those data are protected from disclosure by agreed procedure. Where no more sophisticated rule is applied, any value derived from a confidential value is considered as confidential.

The Member States apply diverse procedures:

- systematic application of confidentiality (where there are anyway too few hatcheries and the results would disclose individual information) or of free status (public information anyway)

- a mix of the (1) minimum number of hatcheries contributing to a value (3 or, sometimes, 4), (2) dominance of one or two hatcheries contributing to a value (75 to 90% where known) and (3) the so-called p% rules that check that the non-dominant share of a value is over a certain percentage.

See the metadata for Animal Production Statistics.

see the metadata for Animal Production Statistics.

In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

The monthly statistics are dissminated by Eurostat on a monthly basis by Eurostat, and most of the countries.

They are otherwise published once (CZ), three times (PL) or four times (DK) a year, or even not disseminated at all national level (EE, EL, LT, MT, SI, FI and SE).

Eurostat does not issue News Release or News Item for these data, as they are not fit for direct interpretation.

Statistics explained: Poultry statistics

See also the metadata for Animal Production Statistics for the Eurostat publications, and the national reports.

The EU data sets can be accessed at:
      https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/apro_ec_strhen/default/table?lang=en
      https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/apro_ec_poula/default/table?lang=en
      https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/apro_ec_poulm/default/table?lang=en

But the databases of some countries are also of interest.
BE: https://landbouwcijfers.vlaanderen.be/marktinformatie/productiegegevens-pluimvee
DK: https://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/default.asp?w=1280  ANI8: Production of eggs and types of production by unit
DE: https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online?language=de&sequenz=suche&selectionname=41321
FR: https://agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr/agreste-web/disaron/VOLAILLES_ECLOS/detail/
HR: https://podaci.dzs.hr/media/risogqqf/msi-poljoprivreda.xlsx
LT: https://osp.stat.gov.lt/web/guest/pradinis
HU: https://www.ksh.hu/kereses?q=Baromfikeltet%C3%A9s+havonta
NL: https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/nl/navigatieScherm/thema
AT: http://www.statistik.at/web_en/statistics/Economy/agriculture_and_forestry/livestock_animal_production/hatching_eggs/index.html
PL: https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/BDL/dane/podgrup/tablica
PT: https://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_indicadores&indOcorrCod=0006998&xlang=pt&contexto=bd&selTab=tab2
RS: https://data.stat.gov.rs/?caller=SDDB&languageCode=en-US (Table: Use of eggs, production and market of chicks)
TR: https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=80&locale=en

See the metadata for Animal Production Statistics.

Not applicable.

No other dissemination format.

See the metadata for Animal Production Statistics.

The EU methodology is not yet compiled in a handbook.

The national repors may provide information on the documentation at national level..

Eurostat collected for the first time national metadata on these statistice for reference year 2020.

See the metadata Animal Production Statistics.

See the metadata Animal Production Statistics.

See the metadata Animal Production Statistics.

See the metadata Animal Production Statistics.

Relevance of the statistics at national level is reflected in the data that you effectively provide to the national data users.
The recent Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 which will apply from reference year 2025 considers the latest user needs collected by Eurostat when drafting the Strategy on agricultural statistics for 2020 and beyond.

 On wether countries publish or deliver other than to Eurostat the statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks, they answer the following. This illustrate the national interest for these statistics. Of course countries with systematic confidentiality issues do not.

On wether countries produce or disseminate indicators derived from the statistics on eggs for hatchinbg and farmyard poultry chicks, they answer the following.

Key users are well known and their needs are met. In addition, specific questions from individual users are answered.
Eurostat conducts regular user surveys with a wider scope.

Completeness of the EU-27 results is at most the lowest completeness among the 27 Member States, but often lower.

Completeness is the percentage of mandatory values that are actually transmitted.

Completeness for year 2022 resulted as follows.

Not available.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

See details by data set under 13.3.1, 13.3.2, 13.3.3, 13.3.4 and 13.3.5.

See 3.5.2 Hatcheries with seasonal activity and 3.5.3 Thresholds the two main factors for undercoverage.

Not available.

Not applicable.

Not available.

Non-response error is the relative difference between the statistics computed from the collected data and those that would be computed if there were no missing values.

If the statistical service directly collects information from the primary respondents (census or sample survey), the percentage of questionnaires effectively collected reflects possible issue with unit non-response. Where the response rate is far under 100%, the unit non-response may biase the results. Where primary data collection comes from another source, the service using this information should be aware of the response rate if relevant.

Data source and response rates

Item non-response results form incomplete collected questionnaires. This information was not requested from the countries for year 2021.

If the statistical process requires performing some particular operations (unit conversion, time accumulation, adjustment/application of technical coefficient or other treatment) and if manual data intervention is required (editing, copying/pasting, etc.) for this treatment, the risk for processing error is increased.

Unit conversion

Time accumulation (e.g. conversion of weekly into monthly or monthly into yearly figures)

Adjustment / Application of technical coefficient

More detailed explanations may be provided in the national reports (top of this page).

Clarification on concept understanding

The number of chicks hatched is expected to include the chicks that will then be exported. For all the countries but BE, this is the case. EE, MT and IS do not export chicks at all.

The eggs ready for hatching may be placed directly on the farms instead of placing day-chicks. BE, BG and HU reported meeting this cases while the other countries does not. Eurostat recommended that these are accounted like the placed chicks. BE does it and, in BG and HU, the cases are out of the statistcal population or negligible.

Statistical models related to a specific source of error should be presented in this section.

In Eurostat, no model is used for establishing the disseminated statistics. In the contrary, the data users feed their model with these statistics.

No country uses a model for establishing the statistics on activity or structure of hatcheries.

Over-coverage by model

The reporting countries were asked to offer information if the model refers to those hatcheries with over 1,000 incubation places or to the whole hatching activity.

• 4 countries answered that the model refers to those hatcheries with over 1,000 incubation places (Only > 1000 places): BE, DE, LT, PT
• HU answered that the model refers to all hatcheries
• BG, DK, EL, IS, PL, RS, TR stated that the model refers to other hatcheries

Model-based statistics (TC)

Only PL uses a model for trade.

PL explained that "Statistics on eggs for hatching and farmyard poultry chicks for a given month must be transmitted to Eurostat earlier than we receive data on foreign trade drawn from Intrastat/Extrastat database  for this give month. According to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 monthly data must be sent to Eurostat “not later than four weeks after the end of the month to which the figures refer”. For this reason, the value of foreign trade for the current month are estimated, and in the next month is adjusted based on the results of the Intrastat/Extrastat reports."

Deadlines in Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 are at 28 days after the end of the reference period.

There is an overall consensus stating that these deadlines are really short regarding activity of hatcheries and structure of hatcheries and unrealistic regarding trade of chicks in the largest producing countries.

Timeliness is a critical element for the data use due to the short production cycle of poultry production compared to other agricultural production.

The data are due by the Member States 28 days after the end of the reference period. The deadline set in the market Regulation appeared unrealistics for the larger countries.

The concept of "final results" is necessarily related with this on "provisional results", but the legal requirements do not refer to them.

 Punctuality reference year 2022

EU-27: 40 days late (average reference year 2022)

The main identified factors for non-comparability between Member States are especially due to differences in the data sources with different definitions for the animal categories.
Interpretation of the "mixed use (table and lay)" and of the "Cockerel from/for sexing" on the one hand and differences in defintions of similar chick categories in the Combined nomenclature and in Regulation (EC) No 617/2008 for trade of chicks on the other hand are the main reasons for non-comparability.

Not applicable.

Comparability over time is good due to stable legal requirements.

The variables on the utility chicks for laying have been available from the 27 Member States since 2016.

The hatcheries are purchasers and providers of agricultural hodings, respectively for eggs for hatching and chicks, they have an agricultural activity based on the NACE, but they are not considered as agricultural hodings by the agricultural statistics. The poultry species are comparable with agricultural statistics, but the categories of chicks match only with the Combined nomenclature (but see 3.4. Definitions and concepts). The first ones are fully coherent whereas the latter ones are mostly comparable.

The annual statistics are fully coherent with the sub-annual statistics, which they derive from.

Economic activity of the hatcheries is covered by the Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA), a satellite account from the National Accounts. They are thus supposed to be coherent with them.

Internal coherence of the data is checked especially based on the time series, and between structure and monthly activity of the hatcheries.

Information not available.

Data revision reflects the revision policy, i.e. the existing rules, and the actual practices.

There is no formal data revision policy. As market information, Member States are not supposed to update the Commission with revised data after their initial notification. Nevertheless, Eurostat tries to faciliate revisions in order to combine disemination of the freshest good enough data and later improvement based on later available information.

In practice, Member States may revise their data for a given month simply by previding them together with the data of a later month.

In PL, depending on availability of the Extrastat/Intrastat data on trade of chicks, the monthly data are first estimated, than the preliminary Extrastat/Intrastat data. The revisions may cover all previous months of a given year.

Not available.

Member States were invited to list the data sources they use to compile the three datasets (AH, SH, TC), including surveys and other sources.

The Member States specified the following main data sources:

Data are tranmitted to Eurostat by the Member States on a monthly bases.

Tha data are collected by Eurostat onto the Member States through the single entry point (EDAMIS system).

For each data collection, Member States were asked to indicate the main way the data are collected (interviews, web interface, phone, email – sent by you or by the respondents –, etc.). This describes the normal collection, within the deadline and without issue with coherence or completeness of the answers. If the three proposed data collections are not adequate, Member States must provide an explanation.

See the metadata Animal Production Statistics.

In the countries, depending on the data flows, the following operation apply, possibly in a different order.

• The service in charge of individual hatchery data collection aggregates them into tabular data; where applicable the non-responses are treated;
• The service(s) in charge of intra-EU and extra-EU exchanges aggregate them based on the Combined Nomenclature; after possible plausibility checks, the various collected variables are converted into fewer ones(e.g. “supplementary quantities"); the data are extrapolated to represent the whole trade though the threshold;
• The weekly data are aggregated into monthly data;
• The non-responses are treated (imputation, extrapololation, back to respondents, etc.).
• The data from the local services are aggregated at national level
• The data received based on CN codes are corrected based on technical coefficients for fitting with the EU definitions

In Eurostat, the data are compiled into EU totals as the sums of the values of the Member States with hatcheries (i.e. except LU). Additionally, the monthly valuesare summed up into annual values.

At each step and at least at each transfer between different services, the data are checked and possible issues are reported.

In order to proceed with the EU totals, the data from countries without hatchery (LU) are imputed with zero regarding the number, the capacity and the activity of hatcheries.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

No comment.