Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
For more information, you can consult the Eurostat glossary page on the standard output.
3.2. Classification system
Data collected include information on the number of harvests, value, quantity and unit price corresponding to the standard output coefficients of a list of products, broken down by FADN region for each country (reference area). Such values are expressed in euro (and in national currency for countries out of euro area).
The list of products is based on the classifications of crop and livestock variables available in Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2018/1091.
The FADN regions refer to the Farm Accountancy Data Network divisions that are territories of a Member State, or any part thereof, delimited with a view to the selection of returning holdings. See Council Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009 for more information.
The standard output coefficients are used to calculate the standard output of agricultural holdings and to classify agricultural holdings by type of farming and by economic size.The farm type is determined by the relative contribution of the different productions to the total standard output of the holding.
The standard output coefficient of an agricultural product (crop or livestock), abbreviated as SOC, is the average monetary value of the agricultural output at farm-gate price, in euro per hectare or per head of livestock.
Other concepts and definitions are presented in the Typology handbook (RI/CC 1500 rev 5) prepared by the Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network.
Standard Output Coefficients (SOC) are collected under the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), by FADN regions in each country. FADN regions are mapped with NUTS regions. For more information on NUTS regions, see the NUTS classification.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The SO 2004 was calculated using the average of 2003, 2004 and 2005 prices. It is applied in 2007 Farm structure survey data and has been applied to 2005 Farm structure survey to allow comparability over the time periods.
The SO 2007 was calculated using the average of 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 prices. It is applied in the 2010 Farm structure survey data.
The SO 2010 was calculated using the average of 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 prices. It is applied in the 2013 Farm structure survey data.
The SO 2013 was calculated using the average of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 prices. It is applied in the 2016 Farm structure survey data.
The SO 2017 was calculated using the average of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 prices. It is applied in the 2020 Farm structure survey data.
The SO 2020 was calculated using the average of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 prices. It is applied in the 2023 Farm structure survey data.
3.9. Base period
Not requested for this reference year.
Units of measure utilised in the SOC data set are listed in the data transmission file to Eurostat by product. In general terms the used ones are EUR/100HEAD, EUR/100M2, EUR/HA, EUR/HEAD, EUR/HIVE.
Article 4 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1198/2014 states on the reference period for the standard output: “For the purposes of calculating standard outputs for the Union farm structure survey for year N, as referred to in Article 5b(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009, the reference period consists of the five successive years from year N-5 to year N-1. The standard outputs shall be determined using average basic data calculated over the reference period laid down in the first paragraph and commonly referred to as ‘N-3 standard outputs’. These N-3 standard outputs shall be updated to take account of economic trends at least each time a Union farm structure survey is carried out.”
For IFS 2020 this means that the Standard Output Coefficients required will be those calculated on the period of 5 years that spans from 2015 to 2019 (SOC2017)
For IFS 2023 this means that the Standard Output Coefficients required will be those calculated on the period of 5 years that spans from 2018 to 2022 (SOC2020)
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Standard Output Coefficients (SOC) are necessary to fulfill the implementation of IFS regulations. Switzerland is not Member State, so is not concerned by mandatory FADN regulations.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not requested for this reference year.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
According to EU regulations and typology handbook, data related to Standard Output Coefficients (SOC) are elaborated, managed, and disseminated at aggregated level (national averages over 5 years) for crops and livestock. Elaboration of SOC’s doesn’t imply any special data collection in Switzerland.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Since the SOC data consists of national averages over 5 years, the data is not confidential and can be published (no detailed data tables).
8.1. Release calendar
Release by Eurostat; no public release by FSO in Switzerland.
8.2. Release calendar access
Release by Eurostat; no public release by FSO in Switzerland.
8.3. Release policy - user access
SOC data are published on Eurobase under the Additional data - Agriculture - Eurostaton Agriculture statistics. The publication of the data normally takes place within N+1 year after the deadline for the data transmission. Nevertheless updates of the data can occur, triggered by DG Agri and Eurostat revision and post-validation checks.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Release by Eurostat; no public release by FSO in Switzerland.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not requested for this reference year.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not requested for this reference year.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not requested for this reference year.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not requested for this reference year.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not requested for this reference year.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not requested for this reference year.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not requested for this reference year.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not requested for this reference year.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not requested for this reference year.
11.1. Quality assurance
Checking rules by Eurostat; macro coherence check with output (at producer prices) per product of Economic accounts for agriculture
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not requested for this reference year.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The data is necessary at national level, especially the economic size of a farm, used beside FSS by FADN.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applcable
12.3. Completeness
For all relevant characteristics of Swiss agriculture, SOC are elaborated. No SOC is compiled for non-existent and non-significant crops or livestock categories.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
100%
13.1. Accuracy - overall
SOC compiled by Swiss Federal Statistical Office are consistent with FSS and EAA, and the accuracy is given by using those two main data sources to obtain accurate SOC', first for each year of the 5-year period, and per average of 5 years (e.g. 2018-2022 for SOC2020 applied for IFS 2023).
13.2. Sampling error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not requested for this reference year.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not requested for this reference year.
Overall accuracy of SOC’s is good, as FSO relies on the detail calculations and results of the Economic accounts for agriculture (EAA), for which e.g. output is compiled. So the extrapolation and aggregation of all farms give aggregates which are close to output at producer price per product in the EAA. As SOC’s are elaborated on national level and not on regional level, the results of aggregation at NUTS3 level may be less accurate when compared to the results of the Regional accounts for agriculture. Some data of the last year under review in the 5-years average (e.g. SOC2020 bases on average 2018-2022, with some provisional data for a subset of products for 2022 available at the final delivery date expected by Eurostat, t+12, December 2023).
14.1. Timeliness
The update frequency of the standard output coefficients is three times in ten years, for each survey according to IFS programme (e.g. SOC2013 for survey 2016, SOC2017 for survey 2020, SOC2020 for survey 2023). The time lag is generally t+12 months for compilation of SOC’s, relating to the last year of the 5-years average (e.g. SOC2020 is average of 2018-2022, delivered in December 2023).
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not requested for this reference year.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not requested for this reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
First delivery to Eurostat for SOC2020 has been December 2023, according to deadline 31 December 2023.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not requested for this reference year.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
At national level, average results (aggregation of economic sizes of all farms, extrapolation of output per crop or livestock category) give comparable results with the correspondent output values of the Economic accounts for agriculture.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not requested for this reference year.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability over time is relevant for some crop and livestock categories; overall comparability with former SOC2017 has been sought whilst compiling SOC2020. No benchmark revision of National Accounts and Economic accounts for agriculture have taken place since 2020, and the major revisions introduced in the former SOC2017 (such as: changes in public support schemes (e.g. milk), methodological and implementations improvements in the elaboration of SOC’s, revised bridge between Swiss detailed crop and livestock categories and Eurostat IFS categories) have been kept for the SOC2020 exercice. The reference period within SOC2020 (2018-2022) is comparable for most crops, livestock and animal products. Some significant changes have been observed for soya (rise in prices i the period 2018-2022 compared to 2015-2019), bigger diversification of other oil seed has a significant effect on their average price, the composition of other silage cereals has changed (emerging of millet and sorgho) impacts their average price and new emerging products have been recorded in SOC2020 (durum wheat, hemp). Finally, the small change in exchange rate between Swiss franc and euro impacts to +3% the SOC2020 compared to SOC2017. Please see annex for numeric evidence.
SOC2017 (2015-2019) and SOC2020 (2018-2022) are comparable. Variations in SOC are due to changes in composition in general positions (e.g. other oilseeds), new products under review (durum wheat, hemp) and price changes on products (e.g. significant for soya). See also 15.2 and its annexe for numeric evidence.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not requested for this reference year.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not requested for this reference year (although the Swiss SOC2020 are coherent with data of Economic accounts for agriculture).
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not requested for this reference year. (although the Swiss SOC2020 are coherent with data of Economic accounts for agriculture, and therefore with National Accounts, as the Swiss EAA are main source for NACE Rev.2 Division 01 Agriculture of Swiss National Accounts)
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not requested for this reference year.
The compilation of SOC’s is part of the institutional tasks of FSO within the implementation of IFS and EAA programmes. No additional costs occur. The data used for the calculation of SOC’s are derived from the compilation of Economic accounts for agriculture, farm register data or other data already available to FSO. No additional survey is conducted and no specific register outputs are needed, no burden for farms or other institutions occurred.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Only specific positions by crops (new products, new composition of products) have been revised for SOC2020 compared to SOC2017, in order to stay consistent with real evolution of product pattern of Swiss agriculture. Basically, those are routine revisions, as no methodologiocal / benchmark revision has been carried out for SOC2020 compared to SOC2017.
It's to be noted for memory that many crop and livestock SOC’s have been strongly revised for SOC2017 compared to SOC2013, as at the time the primary data of the SOC’s calculations have been revised in 2020, as National Accounts and Economic accounts for agriculture have been benchmark revised in 2020. Also for SOC2017, the bridge between the Swiss annual farm structure census and the Eurostat IFS scheme have been revised in 2020, when also some estimation methods and boundaries have been improved (e.g. livestock, mushrooms, horticulture). Agricultural policy measures have been adapted (e.g. milk premium system, which has a significant effect on the producer price, and impacts the SOC of dairy cows since SOC2017, the support policy hasn't been revised since, making SOC2020 strongly comparable to SOC2017).
Next expected benchmark revision for economic input data will occur in 2025 (revision 2025 of National Accounts and Economic accounts for agriculture), and may impact the next SOC' campaign in the frame of the next IFS2026.
17.2. Data revision - practice
No major revision (methodological, benchmark) have taken place in the elaboration of SOC2020 compared to SOC2017. Only routine revision, especially actualisation of prices and of product patterns (e.g. composition of other oil seeds) according to shift of observed production pattern of Swiss agriculture. Next benchmark revision of major data sources (Economic accounts for agriculture) is planned for 2025 (coordinated with benchmark revision 2025 of National Accounts).
Economic accounts for agriculture (EAA), and it’s detailed input data; EAA federates a great number of data sources (see Swiss EAA inventory) (FSO), e.g.:
Agricultural production statistics (Agristat, Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG)
For more information, you can consult the Eurostat glossary page on the standard output.
2 May 2024
The standard output coefficient of an agricultural product (crop or livestock), abbreviated as SOC, is the average monetary value of the agricultural output at farm-gate price, in euro per hectare or per head of livestock.
Other concepts and definitions are presented in the Typology handbook (RI/CC 1500 rev 5) prepared by the Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network.
Standard Output Coefficients (SOC) are collected under the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), by FADN regions in each country. FADN regions are mapped with NUTS regions. For more information on NUTS regions, see the NUTS classification.
Article 4 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1198/2014 states on the reference period for the standard output: “For the purposes of calculating standard outputs for the Union farm structure survey for year N, as referred to in Article 5b(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1217/2009, the reference period consists of the five successive years from year N-5 to year N-1. The standard outputs shall be determined using average basic data calculated over the reference period laid down in the first paragraph and commonly referred to as ‘N-3 standard outputs’. These N-3 standard outputs shall be updated to take account of economic trends at least each time a Union farm structure survey is carried out.”
For IFS 2020 this means that the Standard Output Coefficients required will be those calculated on the period of 5 years that spans from 2015 to 2019 (SOC2017)
For IFS 2023 this means that the Standard Output Coefficients required will be those calculated on the period of 5 years that spans from 2018 to 2022 (SOC2020)
SOC compiled by Swiss Federal Statistical Office are consistent with FSS and EAA, and the accuracy is given by using those two main data sources to obtain accurate SOC', first for each year of the 5-year period, and per average of 5 years (e.g. 2018-2022 for SOC2020 applied for IFS 2023).
Units of measure utilised in the SOC data set are listed in the data transmission file to Eurostat by product. In general terms the used ones are EUR/100HEAD, EUR/100M2, EUR/HA, EUR/HEAD, EUR/HIVE.
Economic accounts for agriculture (EAA), and it’s detailed input data; EAA federates a great number of data sources (see Swiss EAA inventory) (FSO), e.g.:
Agricultural production statistics (Agristat, Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG)
Producer prices and price index (Agristat, FSO),
FADN (Agroscope)
Horticulture (Jardin Suisse, SZG)
SOC data are published on Eurobase under the Additional data - Agriculture - Eurostaton Agriculture statistics. The publication of the data normally takes place within N+1 year after the deadline for the data transmission. Nevertheless updates of the data can occur, triggered by DG Agri and Eurostat revision and post-validation checks.
The update frequency of the standard output coefficients is three times in ten years, for each survey according to IFS programme (e.g. SOC2013 for survey 2016, SOC2017 for survey 2020, SOC2020 for survey 2023). The time lag is generally t+12 months for compilation of SOC’s, relating to the last year of the 5-years average (e.g. SOC2020 is average of 2018-2022, delivered in December 2023).
At national level, average results (aggregation of economic sizes of all farms, extrapolation of output per crop or livestock category) give comparable results with the correspondent output values of the Economic accounts for agriculture.
Comparability over time is relevant for some crop and livestock categories; overall comparability with former SOC2017 has been sought whilst compiling SOC2020. No benchmark revision of National Accounts and Economic accounts for agriculture have taken place since 2020, and the major revisions introduced in the former SOC2017 (such as: changes in public support schemes (e.g. milk), methodological and implementations improvements in the elaboration of SOC’s, revised bridge between Swiss detailed crop and livestock categories and Eurostat IFS categories) have been kept for the SOC2020 exercice. The reference period within SOC2020 (2018-2022) is comparable for most crops, livestock and animal products. Some significant changes have been observed for soya (rise in prices i the period 2018-2022 compared to 2015-2019), bigger diversification of other oil seed has a significant effect on their average price, the composition of other silage cereals has changed (emerging of millet and sorgho) impacts their average price and new emerging products have been recorded in SOC2020 (durum wheat, hemp). Finally, the small change in exchange rate between Swiss franc and euro impacts to +3% the SOC2020 compared to SOC2017. Please see annex for numeric evidence.
