Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union

E1: Agriculture and fisheries  

European Commission, Eurostat

L-2920, LUXEMBOURG

The present EU-level metadata file displays a summary of the national quality reports submitted by 27 Member States for reference period 2015-2019, together with EU-level information.

2.1.1. Main characteristics of statistics

According to Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, the Member States shall collect the data necessary for the specification of the quantity of each active substance contained in plant protection products used on a selected crop and the area treated with each substance.

The active substances are listed in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017. The quantity of active substances is expressed in kilograms. The area treated with each substance is expressed in hectares.

Regarding the selection of crops,  Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 stipulates that the crops selected by a country shall be representative of the crops cultivated in the Member State and of the substances used. As a result, the selection of the covered crops differs among the Member States.

The data collection is mandatory for all Member States of the European Union, Norway and Iceland, and optional for other EFTA countries as well as for candidate and potential candidate countries.

2.1.2. Reference period of data collection

The data collection takes place every five years. Correspondingly, the first 5-year period covered the years 2010-2014, while the most recent data collection refers to the 2015-2019 five years period. In compliance with Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, countries are obliged to collect data at least for one reference year (maximum 12 months) out of five years and cover all plant protection treatments associated with the crop. Consequently, the reference year for the data collection differs among Member States. For a detailed overview of the reference years selected by the Member States to collect data on pesticides, see table 2.1.2.1 below.

Table 2.1.2.1. - Reference periods used by the Member States to collect data on pesticide use in agriculture - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] The reference period shall indicate the year in which the harvest began

All Member States declare in the national reports that the classifications used for the data collection on pesticides used correspond to the classification of the active substances in plant protection products provided in Annex III to Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017 amending Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning statistics on pesticides and to the classification system for crops derived from the Annual crop statistics Handbook 2019.

The code list of active substances and their aggregation levels is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 1_List of pesticides).

The geographical classification for country codes (ISO 3166) applies. 

For the compilation of statistics on pesticides use, Eurostat's Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community - NACE rev2, is used.

The main economic sector is the agriculture sector and more specifically, according to the NACE rev2, the agricultural use of pesticides on selected crops covered by the sectors code 01.1. Growing of non-perennial crops and  01.2. Growing of perennial crops.

The statistics shall cover substances (listed in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017) contained in pesticides on each selected crop in each Member State.

2.3.1. Crops covered by the statistics

The selection of crops per country depends on the national relevance of the crops. According to Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, the crops selected shall be representative of the crops cultivated in the Member State and of the substances used. The selection of crops shall take into account the most relevant crops for the national action plans as referred to in Article 4 of Directive 2009/128/EC.

The information provided by the Member States in the national reports shows a wide variety of more than 150 crop codes used in total by all 27 Member States for the 5-year period 2015-2019, of which nearly one third of the Member States (EE, IE, ES, CY, PT, RO, SK and SE) collected the data on more than 40 crops each. More specifically, the crop categories covered by the majority of the Member States were Wheat and spelt (code C1100) and Potatoes (codes R1000 - R1920), where at least one of the potatoes category has been covered by 25 and 24 Member States respectively. Only two Member States (HR and MT) have not included any category of wheat and spelt and three Member States (BG, HU and SI) have not included potatoes to the data collection. Apples (codes F1110-F1112) were covered by 20 Member States, not covered by BE, BG, EL, HR, IT, LU and MT, Green maize (code G3000) by 17 Member States and Common winter wheat and spelt (code C1111) by 15 Member States.

More detailed information on crops covered by statistical data collection can be found in table 2.3.1.1. below.

Table 2.3.1.1.: Crops covered by statistical data collection - National quality reports 2015-2019

In order to provide a better orientation, an overview table showing the data availability is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 2_Data availability). It contains information about which data combination exists in the data set, considering country, year, crop and active substances on major group level. A detailed overview of the Member States selection of the representative crops for 2015-2019 data collection on agricultural use of pesticides is also annexed at the end of this report (Annex 3_Crops covered by the Member States).

Based on the information provided in the 2015-2019 national quality reports an overview of the reported data collection coverage, as the percentage of the total national Utilised Agricultural Area (or Arable Land) and the percentage of the total national amount of the pesticides used in agriculture, has been provided in table 2.3.1.2. below.

Table 2.3.1.2.: Coverage according to the area of the crops cultivated in the Member State and of the substances used - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] Excluding permanent grassland.

[2] Percentage of the total active substances.

[3] Percentage of the total amount of pesticides sold in Greece.

[4] Percentage of the sown area.

[5] Percentage of the sown area.

[6] Percentage of the total sold volume of pesticides.

2.3.2. Commercial non-agricultural uses of pesticides

Based on the information provided in the national reports, only two Member States (BE and DK) have provided information on use of pesticides other than agricultural uses. For more detailed information see the relevant national quality reports.

Concept

This data collection comprises pesticide use data as specified in Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009. Each Member State shall collect data on pesticide treatments on representative crops during a five-year period.

Variables

For each selected crop the following variables shall be compiled:

1. the quantity of each substance listed in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 contained in pesticides used on this crop; and
2. the area treated with each substance.

Reporting measures

1. Quantities of active substances used expressed in kilograms (kg);
2. Areas treated expressed in hectares (ha).

Reference period

The period of each data collection covers five years, starting from the first five-year period 2010-2014. The currently reported reference period is 2015-2019. The countries were obliged to collect data at least for one reference year (maximum 12 months) out of five years and cover all plant protection treatments associated with the crop. The reference period shall be reported as the year in which the harvest began. As a result, the frequency and selection of year(s) differ among the Member States. The majority of the Member States collected data only in one year of the five-year period. Only three Member States (IT, CY and PL) collected the data each year, while LV used the reference years 2017 and 2019 and in IE and FR the data collection was organised for reference years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. It should be noted that the Member States often collected different crops in different years. Detailed information on the reference year(s) selected by the Member States can be found in table 2.1.2.1. 'Reference periods used by the Member States to collect data on pesticide use in agriculture' provided under Chapter 2.1.

Definitions

Plant protection products:

Products that consist of or contain active substances (safeners or synergists), and that are intended for one of the following uses:

• protecting plants or plant products against all harmful organisms or preventing the action of such organisms, unless the main purpose of these products is considered to be for reasons of hygiene rather than for the protection of plants or plant products;
• influencing the life processes of plants, such as substances influencing their growth, other than as a nutrient;
• preserving plant products, in so far as such substances or products are not subject to special community provisions on preservatives; 
• destroying undesired plants or parts of plants, except algae unless the products are applied on soil or water to protect plants; 
• checking or preventing undesired growth of plants, except algae.

Active substances: 

The active substances are listed in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/269 of 16 February 2017. The quantity of active substances is expressed in kilograms. Eurostat disseminates the active substances on the three aggregation levels available in the harmonised classification of substances, called major groups (first level), categories of products (second level) and chemical classes (third level). The major groups are divided in the following categories:

• fungicides and bactericides;
• herbicides, haulm destructors and moss killers;
• insecticides and acaricides;
• molluscicides;
• plant growth regulators;
• other plant protection products.

The full code list of active substances and their aggregation levels is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 1_List of pesticides).

The disseminated data excludes micro-biological substances because of the difficulties to convert units used to express them (such as colony-forming unit (CFU)) into kilogram (kg), the reporting unit used for dissemination.

Crop:

Agricultural plant product that can be cultivated and harvested. The crops follow the definitions contained in the Annual crop statistics Handbook 2019.

The crops selected by Member States shall be representative of the crops cultivated in the Member State and of the substances used. The selection of crops shall take into account the most relevant crops for the national action plans as referred to in Article 4 of Directive 2009/128/EC. The list of the covered crops with corresponding codes is provided in table 2.3.1.1.

Quantity:

The amount of kilograms of the active substances used on a certain crop. Values reported in units other than kilograms are not taken into account.

Area treated:

The physical area treated with plant protection products in hectares. It can be a whole crop parcel or only parts of a plot. The same physical area can also be treated several times, which can lead to double counting. Therefore, the area treated is published only for those Member States who can ensure that multiple treatments could be identified and reported separately. Regarding the reference period 2015-2019 the data on area treated could be published for 12 Member States (DK, EL, FR, HR, IT, CY, LU, HU, PL, PT, RO and SI).

The basic units of statistical observation for which data are provided are agricultural holdings or crop parcels.

Agricultural holdings

The definition of agricultural holding for the purposes of animal production statistics is set in Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on integrated farm statistics, Article 2(a).

• An agricultural holding, or holding, or farm is a single unit, both technically and economically, operating under a single management and which undertakes economic activities in agriculture in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 within the economic territory of the European Union either as its primary or secondary activity.

According to the information provided in the national report, 22 Member States indicated that the basic statistical unit is in their country an agricultural holding (BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, IE, ES, HR, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, PT, RO, SI, SK, SE, FI). Two Member States (EE, LT) specified that also small agricultural units/family farms are considered and two Member States (HU and RO) added that only those agricultural holdings using pesticides for the observed crop categories are taken into account. Some of the Member States declared that in addition to agricultural holdings, also individual crop parcels are classified as statistical units (FR[1], PL, NL). In AT for farm use data, the statistical unit for two of three data packages is a field, and for one data package it is the acreage for the respective crop on the farm. For the seed certification data, the statistical unit is one batch of seed.

Other units

The other statistical units may be for example those units involved in pesticides trade or pesticide suppliers.

At least one Member States (EL) indicated that each individual pesticide sale, intended for use in the selected covered crops, within its territory, is considered a statistical unit.

[1] The statistical unit corresponds to a crop parcel, defined as an area of adjoining land planted with the same species, same variety (or group of similar varieties), same planting or sowing date, same previous crop and treatment in terms of homogeneous cultivation practices (fertilisation, tilling, phytosanitary treatments).

The statistical population is the framework of the statistical units for the reference period and, as such, it depends on the statistical subject.

For the statistics on pesticide use in agriculture all plant protection treatments on a selected crop have to be reported. The number of crops however is not prescribed. The detailed description of the statistical population, as well as any possible thresholds used, as indicated in the national quality reports 2015-2019 is provided in table 2.6.1. below.

Table 2.6.1. Statistical population - National quality reports 2015-2019

The EU statistics on pesticide use in agriculture are drawn up for the territory of the Member States. The area is the territory of the Member States as defined by Regulation (EC) No 11059/2003. For non-EU countries, territory follows the definition agreed bi-laterally between Eurostat and the country concerned.

The entire territory of each country (NUTS 0) of the EU Member States, UK and Norway.

The 2015-2019 data on pesticide use in agriculture was submitted by the 27 EU Member States, Norway and the United Kingdom. Additional countries submitting data were Iceland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey and Kosovo.

The following geographical coverage specificities were indicated in the 2015 -2019 national quality reports:

• DK: The data does not cover Greenland and Faroe Islands.
• EL: Mount Athos region is included even though not explicitly. Commercial activities in that region are very limited and the majority, if not all, of the pesticides used in that region are purchased from stores located in the nearby Greek regions.
• ES: Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are included.
• FR: Overseas departments are covered for crops specific to overseas territories (Guadeloupe and Martinique for bananas, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion for sugar cane). The entire metropolitan territory of the country is covered for all other crops.
• IT: Vatican and San Marino are excluded.
• NL: Aruba-Curaçao-Sint Maarten-Bonaire-Sint Eustatius-Saba are excluded.
• PT: Azores and Madeira are included.
• FI: Åland Islands are included.

The statistics on pesticide use in agriculture are available since 2010 onwards.

This metadata refers to the data collection on pesticide use in agriculture statistics for reference period 2015 to 2019. For more detailed information see the description of the reference period used by the Member States under Chapter 2.4. above.

Not applicable for pesticide use statistics, because it is not based on an index number of time series.

The methods for data collection and production of statistics on pesticide use in agriculture are not set out in the EU legislation. The use of other data sources than a survey is possible if their quality is sufficient. In practice, Member States developed various statistical processes applying different methods or combination of them depending on the specific system for production statistics on pesticide use at national level. The system may include annual census or sample farm surveys, specialised industry surveys, use of administrative data sources, expert estimations (forecasts), assessments, compilations, as well as modelling.

Using administrative sources reduces the burden on respondents but requires an understanding of the limits of such data in order to ensure good quality.

In the 2015-2019 reference period the source of data varies depending on the country. Most Member States used sample surveys and extrapolated the results to the population of farms. Often the samples were stratified according to farm size, geographical location, crop type and coverage etc., and the main methods used were interviews with questionnaires or collection of farmers' records. Some Member States used census or administrative data (sometimes in combination with sample surveys). Additional data sources may be used to improve the quality of the main data, for instance in terms of coverage, accuracy or completeness.

The detailed description of the statistical data sources used, as provided in the national quality reports 2015-2019, can be found in table 3.1.1. below.

More detailed information on the data sources used to collect the required information on pesticide use in agriculture can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Table 3.1.1. Statistical data sources - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] The sample survey described in the Portugal quality report is used to collect the annual data on area and production of vegetables that are used in a model to estimate the agricultural use of pesticides data.

[2] Data on pesticide sales in Portugal.

Eurostat collects data from the countries every five years.

Nationally, the frequency of data collection and selection of reference year(s) differ among the countries. Countries are obliged to collect data at least for one reference year (maximum 12 months) out of five years, but some of them collect data more often or collect even different crops in different years. However, the data transmission to Eurostat, no matter if the data were collected for 1 or more years, takes place every five years.

The reference period described by this report covers five years, starting from 2015 to 2019. According to the information provided in the national quality reports three Member States (IT, CY and PL) collected the data on pesticide use in agriculture annually, two Member States (FR and IE) carried out four data collections, in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and one Member State (LV) carried out two data collections, one in 2017 and second in 2019.

The detailed breakdown of Member States according to the reference period provided in the national quality record can be found in table 2.1.2.1. under Chapter 2.1."Data description"

The more detailed information can be found in Annex 2_Data availability - overview at the end of this report.

Countries shall transmit the statistical results including confidential data to Eurostat via a single entry point (called EDAMIS), as required by the implementing Commission Regulation (EU) No 408/2011 (Article 1). The format of the data file was SDMX-ML for the first collection period 2010-2014 and CSV for the second collection period 2015-2019.

All 2015-2019 datasets have been transmitted to Eurostat via the Eurostat generic data transmission tool, EDAMIS Web-Form.

The national methods used to collect the data vary in Member States depending on national practices and data sources used. The detailed description of 2015 -2019 data collection can be found in table 3.3.1. below.

Table 3.3.1. Methods of data collection - National quality reports 2015-2019

The data collection varies according to Member States. More detailed information can be found in the attached national quality reports.

[1] Data on agricultural use of pesticides was estimated based on a model using a various data sources (Sample survey on vegetable area and production, administrative data on pesticide sales, 2010-2014 pesticide use data, Farm structure survey data, Orchard and olive groves survey)

Validation of data file

Validation is a key activity performed in all statistical domains. Efficient data validation is essential for high quality statistics. Guidelines for assigning validation responsibilities within the whole production chain, standard validation levels, a good selection of validation rules, standards for validation reports and error/warning messages and common documentation standards of the validation process are important elements of a good data validation policy.

Validation methods used by countries

As Member States used very different methods of data collection, the validation methods vary widely according to the country. For specific information please see the attached national quality reports.

Data compilation by Eurostat

As some biological fungicides and insecticides occur in various forms and concentrations (e.g. liquid), countries faced the difficulty to convert other measuring units, for example colony-forming units (CFU), into kilograms. As the common methodology for transformation is under development in order to assure data comparability, Eurostat decided not to disseminate micro-biological substances so far.

Data compilation by countries

Data are aggregated by the countries according to the categories specified in Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009.

The summary information on data compilation is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 4_Methods of data compilation). More detailed information can be found in the attached national quality reports 2015-2019.

Not applicable because the data collection is not based on time series.

The national quality assurance methods vary in Member States depending on the national system in place. In the frame of 2015-2019 metadata collection, the reporters were asked to specify and describe a quality management system in organisation, how it is implemented, whether a peer review has been carried out and with what results, as well as to indicate any future planned quality improvements. The majority of the Member States (18 out of 27) reported having a functional quality management system in their organisation and for some of them a detailed description has also been provided. A peer review has been carried out by 4 (EE, IE, FR and PL) out of 27 Member States. Most of the Member States declares that future quality improvements are envisaged. Among others, the future improvement of data coverage, better use of administrative farmer's records, further automation of data collection and data validation, have been indicated by some Member States.

Detailed information on the quality assurance can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council stipulates that 'for the purpose of this Regulation, the quality criteria as laid down in Article 12 (1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 shall apply. Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with reports on the quality of the data transmitted as referred to in Annex II. The Commission (Eurostat) shall assess the quality of data transmitted' (Article 4 (1)(2))'.

In the frame of 2015-2019 metadata collection, the Member States indicated that a major effort has been made to ensure that the quality of the compiled statistics is of the highest possible standard and that it is consistent and comparable across and within all statistical data collections.

The specific information on the quality management assessment, as provided in the national quality reports 2015-2019, can be found in table 4.2.1. below.

More detailed information on the assessment of the quality management can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Table 4.2.1. Assessment of quality management - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] All the information related to the sample survey provided in the Portuguese national report refers to the Vegetable sample survey that is used to estimate the data on pesticide use in Portugal

The main purpose of the collection of data on pesticide use in agriculture is to decrease the risk, imposed from pesticides use, on the environment and more specifically on human health, in accordance to Directive 2009/128/EC and the respective National Action Plan. Pursuant to Article 15 (2) of Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for Community action to achieve a sustainable use of pesticides (OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, pp. 71-86), Member States and the Commission shall calculate a harmonized risk indicator.

In order to ensure that the requirements of the aforementioned Directive are properly administered, the Commission requires regular data on pesticide use in agriculture. In accordance with information provided in the national quality reports the main users of data are in particular Directorates General of the European Commission (e.g. DG Agriculture and rural development and DG Environment). However, there are other major users such as other European institutions, national ministries for agriculture and rural development, various governmental services, national statistical institutes, other international organisations, agro-industry, producer groups, research institutes, journalists, third countries and the public in general. The objectives of these users vary, but overall the pesticide use data are needed to estimate effects of pesticides on the environment and food safety. It has however been noted that due to the unavailability of annual data and varying crop coverage, the data are of lesser value for formulation of governmental policies.

Detailed information on the main national and international users can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Key users are generally well known and their needs are met. In addition, specific questions from individual users are answered.

According to the information provided in the 2019 quality reports, 4 Member States (EE, EL, IT and LT) reported that they carried out a survey on user satisfaction, varying in date from 2018 to 2021, with EE carrying user satisfaction survey on annual basis. However, it seems that these surveys covered rather general statistical data and processes rather than specific data collection on pesticide use in agriculture.

Not applicable.

Note: Pesticide Use Statistics data collection does not provide a target on the number of data. Member States are asked to collect data on representative crops without stipulating the number of crops.

Not relevant.

In a general statistical sense, the statistical data accuracy is the closeness of computations or estimates to the exact or true values that the statistics were intended to measure, while the reliability of the data is defined as the closeness of the initial estimated value to the subsequent estimated value.

The Member States were invited to describe the main sources of random and systematic errors related to the national data collection and to provide a summary assessment of all errors with special focus on the impact on key estimates.

Generally, as regards 2015-2019 data collection on agricultural use of pesticides the degree of accuracy is indicated to be good by all Member States.

The following items 6.2 - Sampling error and 6.3 - Non-sampling error provide a short summary of considerations of countries about errors and how to overcome them.

Summary of information on overall accuracy, as provided in the national quality reports, is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 5_Overall accuracy).

Member States who used sample surveys to collect data on pesticide use in agriculture, extrapolated the results to the population of farms. Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 does not define any precision requirements for statistics on pesticide use in agriculture. Therefore, an under- or overestimation of used doses or pesticides cannot be ruled out. To reduce the sampling error, it is important to have representative strata with high sample sizes. Some Member States however reported that the sample sizes of some strata are underrepresented, e.g. regarding certain type of farms or crops, or rarely used active substances. This is a factor lowering the accuracy. An improvement in accuracy could only be achieved by an increase in sample size for the respective strata, which would be associated with higher costs and burdens for the Member States.

Coefficient of variation achieved for the main variables

In the frame of the 2015-2019 quality reporting exercise, the Member States were requested to provide the description of the method used to assess the sampling error and to derive the extrapolation factor. If coefficients of variation (CV) were calculated, the calculation methods and formulas used should also be provided for the main variables, where the data were drawn from a sample survey. Hence, the value reported in the cells and the comments enable one to identify the type of source of these statistics. If the value of CV was greater than 0, the data were supposed to be drawn from a sample survey. Otherwise, if the value of CV was equal to 0 or not reported, data were supposed to be drawn from another source, such as administrative source, register, or exhaustive (full) survey.

Based on the information provided in the quality reports, the majority of Member States (20 out of 27) use a sample survey to collect the required data on pesticide use in agriculture. A full scope survey (census) was used by only two Member States (LT and HU), although in both cases the census covered only agricultural enterprises while small (family) units were covered by a sample survey. Only 8 Member States indicated the use of various administrative sources as a main or as an additional data source (BE (FADN), DK, EL, LU (FADN), NL, AT, SI, SK) and one Member State (HR) used the study to obtain the required data. One Member States (PT) estimates the required data based on a model that exploits the various statistical data (vegetable survey, FSS, orchards and olive groves survey and pesticide sales data). However, it should be noted that some Member States consider a sample survey carried out by another institution to be an administrative source (SI, SK).

The Member States using a sample survey to collect agricultural pesticide use statistics provided in their quality reports the achieved coefficients of variation for the main variables, sampling rates and information on the sample design.

SAMPLE DESIGN

Sample design refers to the way a sample is organised and to the statistical methods used to check whether the sample complies with predefined criteria (e.g. representativeness).

Usually, a simple stratified sample is used (if any) but the way the strata are defined (stratification criteria) may be complex. A sample could also be a purely random sample or be designed with several levels. Few Member States also uses clusters to design the representative sample.

A stratified sample uses stratification criteria, usually the crop area and units location/region (large countries). Some specific strata may also be defined for a particular purpose, e.g. farms with specific crops, farms using pesticides, new farms, etc. In general, the largest farms are surveyed exhaustively because they provide information on a large proportion of the pesticides used and at low cost (few statistical units or mandatory administrative information, sound bookkeeping).

In 2015- 2019 reference period, the Member States that used stratified sampling applied most often the stratification criteria of location and size of unit.

The summary information on sampling errors, as provided in the 2015-2019 national quality reports, is annexed at the end of this report (Annex 6_Sampling error). The annex contains two tables, table 6.2.1. on Sample design and 6.2.2. on Sampling error.

More detailed information can be found in the attached national quality reports.

See item 6.2.above.

See the items 6.3.1., 6.3.2., 6.3.3., 6.3.4. and 6.3.5.

Detailed information on non-sampling errors can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Coverage error occurs due to divergences between the target population and the frame population. A good sampling frame covers all the units in the target population, excludes all units not in the target population and has accurate information on the unit (e.g. information allowing contacting the unit). Ideally each unit should have a unique identifier.

Coverage error may be deliberate (usually on cost grounds) or identified afterwards. Overcoverage reported in pesticide use statistics is due especially to farms which ceased their activities or do not apply pesticides on the crops in the reference year.

Among the most frequently cited reasons for undercoverage errors are, for example, the use of excessively high crop area thresholds, insufficient coverage of crop categories or some classes of substances, exclusion of some farms from the frame (those not applying for subsidies in case of using IACS as a sample frame, or organic farms), exclusion of some fields of application (e.g. seed treatment exclusion), etc.

Summary of information on coverage error, as provided in the national quality reports, can be found in table 6.3.1.1. below.

Table 6.3.1.1. Coverage error - National quality reports 2015-2019

See item 6.3.1. above.

See item 6.3.1. above.

Measurement error results from deviation in the accuracy of measurement during data collection. For the surveys, it covers both incorrect recording of an accurate response and correct recording of an inaccurate response.

The main tool used for statistical measurement is the questionnaire, either an actual questionnaire filled in by a surveyor or a form completed directly by the respondent. The key to limiting errors at this stage is to ensure the questionnaire is clear, with the items well explained and well understood. Because field work cannot be easily repeated, possible weaknesses are assumed to be remedied with experience. Therefore, the age of the questionnaire and the experience of the surveyors are factors limiting this error.

Experience in using the same questionnaire improves comparability over time but revisions are needed to adapt the questionnaire to changing requirements.

Summary of information on measurement error, as provided in the national quality reports 2015-2019, can be found in table 6.3.2.1. below.

Table 6.3.2.1. Measurement error - National quality reports 2015-2019[1]

[1] All the information related to the sample survey provided in the Portuguese national report refers to the Vegetable sample survey that is used to estimate the data on pesticide use in Portugal

Non-response is a failure in data collection. The difference between the statistics calculated from the data actually collected and those that would be calculated obtained if all values were available is the non-response error.

Unit non-response

Unit non-response occurs when no data are collected at all about a given statistical unit intended for data collection. It can be managed either by providing substitution values (imputation) or by correcting the weight of units in the strata (re-calibration).

Unit non-responses have been analysed by some Member States. These Member States specified that the reason for non-response was for example an unwillingness on the part of respondents to take part in the survey or difficulties in contacting or finding the respondents. It has been indicated that the risk of bias due to non-response has been assessed as insignificant or proved null, but in some cases it was unknown. No assessment was conducted in some cases, where the response rate was 100 %, but also in some other cases. The non-response was often solved by sending reminders, follow up contacts, by weighting, or by imputation based on other data sources.

Item non-response

Item non-response occurs when data about a given statistical unit are collected on only some, but not all, of the variables. It may also be corrected by imputation, especially when other valuable information has been collected for the relevant unit. If the non-responses are randomly distributed, the statistics remain nevertheless representative. Otherwise, further corrections are required.

Summary of information on unit and item non-response, as provided in the national quality reports, can be found in table 6.3.3.1. below.

Table 6.3.3.1. Non-response error - National quality reports 2015-2019

See item 6.3.3. above.

See item 6.3.3. above.

Processing errors occur during data entry, data editing, coding, imputation and transmission.

In the frame of the 2015-2019 quality reporting the Member States were requested to provide information on processing error, in particular focusing on imputation process. However, only very few Member States have indicated that the imputation has been used for the 2015-2019 data collection on the use of pesticide in agriculture.

A summary of information on processing error, as provided in the national quality reports, can be found in table 6.3.4.1. below.

Table 6.3.4.1. Processing error - National quality reports 2015-2019

See item 6.3.4. above.

A few Member States assumed that no pesticides are used on organic farms and therefore excluded organic farms in their survey. In fact, a limited number of pesticides can be used on organic farms.

Seasonal adjustment is not applicable to pesticide use statistics since all plant protection treatments associated directly or indirectly with the crop during the reference period are reported.

Revision is a change in data already published. It may reflect insufficient quality in the initially published statistics or a desire to improve further quality.

Whereas the data users need early, accurate and definitive values, data revision reflects the trade-off between timeliness and other quality aspects (especially reliability and accuracy).

Generally, for coherence between dissemination at national and EU level, any revision in the MS data should be reflected in the EU data sets, as soon as the EU variables are impacted. Revisions out of improvement of the latest published data are not expected out of exceptional changes in the methodology. In that case, revision is subject to prior discussion and agreement between the Member State and Eurostat.

In case a country submits a revised data from 2010 onwards, data are checked with the validation rules and the next update of the Eurostat public database makes them available if no quality issue is detected meanwhile.

Detailed information on data revisions can be found in the attached 2015-2019 national quality reports.

Not applicable

The transmission deadline for the statistics on pesticide use in agriculture is set out in Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009. Pursuant to Article 3 (2) Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat) the statistical results, including confidential data, in accordance with the schedules and with the periodicity specified in Annexes I and II. Data shall be presented in accordance with the classification given in Annex III. Annex II, Section 5 further specifies that:

(1) For each five-year period, Member States shall compile statistics on the use of pesticides for each selected crop within a reference period as defined in Section 4 of the aforementioned Regulation

(2) Member States may choose the reference period at any time of the five-year period. The choice can be made independently for each selected crop.

(3) The first five-year period shall start at the first calendar year following 30 December 2009.

(4) Member States shall supply data for every five-year period.

(5) Data shall be transmitted to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of each five-year period and published, in particular on the Internet, in accordance with the requirements regarding the protection of statistical confidentiality as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, with a view to providing information to the public.

The actual timeliness (length of time between the event and availability of the statistical output) can be shorter than the legal timeliness if data are provided earlier. The time lag between the actual release date and the planned (agreed or legal) date is called punctuality.

The actual timeliness for EU-27 results depends on timeliness achieved among Member States. The time taken for data validation and dissemination by Eurostat is also taken into account.

Detailed information on timeliness and punctuality can be found in the attached national quality reports.

In the frame of the 2015-2019 quality report, the timeliness described by Member States refers to all their data users, Eurostat being one of them. The information provided reflects the importance attached to this quality dimension. The fact that some Member States also publish preliminary results reflects the desire to satisfy user needs regarding data freshness. The outcome of the 2015-2019 quality reports is provided below, under headings 7.1.1 and 7.1.2.

This indicator represents the number of days (or weeks or months) from the last day of the reference period to the day of publication of first results.

Based on the information provided in the quality reports, timeliness from a Member State point of view varies between few days (from 14 days in Germany) to 11 months in Romania.

Summary of information on timeliness on first results, as provided in the national quality reports, can be found in table 7.1.1.1. below.

Table 7.1.1.1.: Timeliness - first/preliminary results - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] Information is missing for: BE, BG, IT, AT, PL, PT, SK, FI. Data will not be published by HR, FR (data not published on national level).

The definitive results are published later. The minimum timeliness is higher than the average time lag of preliminary results. The range of time lags is wider, (from 3 to 19 months). In general the definitive results published directly (without preliminary publication) are the earliest and the others may be published later as an improvement to the already available (preliminary) results.

This indicator represents the number of days (or weeks or months) from the last day of the reference period to the day of publication of final results.

Summary of information on timeliness on final results, as provided in the national quality reports, can be found in table 7.1.2.1. below.

Table 7.1.2.1.: Timeliness - final results - National quality reports 2015-2019

[1] Information is missing for: BE, BG, AT, PT. Data will not be published by HR, FR (data not published on national level).

All Member States were able to meet the transmission deadlines for transmission of the data and the national quality reports).

Data are normally received within the legal deadlines. However, some countries may experience delays in sending their data to Eurostat due to exceptional circumstances.

As regards the data punctuality for the 2015-2019 reference period, from the Eurostat point of view. all the national data sets were transmitted within the requested deadlines.

From a Member State perspective, the table 7.2.1. below gives an overview of punctuality for all the processes described in the national quality reports.

Table 7.2.1.: Punctuality - National quality reports 2015-2019

See item 7.2. above.

From the Eurostat point of view the data are collected and published on country level (NUTS 0). A comparability of regions within countries is therefore not possible.

The comparability between countries is theoretically very good due to the same harmonised classifications used for pesticides and crops. In practice however, countries choose very different crops out of the list of about 200 crop codes as they were asked by the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 to select representative crops for their country. This resulted in more than 150 crop codes used in total during the 2015-2019 data collection, of which about forty crop codes were chosen by only one country. If a crop is chosen only by one or very few countries, there is of course no comparability possible for this specific crop. Considering the transregional differences in Europe regarding climate, soil, agricultural traditions and practices, etc., it becomes clear that the cultivated crops cannot be the same for all European countries. Nevertheless, Eurostat tried to tackle the problem of low EU-wide comparability and proposed a reduced list of mandatory crops to collect on a voluntary basis starting with the implementation of SAIO.

This concept is not applicable to the statistics on pesticide use in agriculture.

Comparability over time is not ensured due to the fact that the data collection covers a reference period of five years and countries are free to choose the year of data collection.

According to the Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009, countries are obliged to collect data at least for one reference year (maximum 12 months) out of five years and cover all plant protection treatments associated with the crop. As a result, the frequency and selection of year(s) differ among the countries.

For a detailed overview of the reference periods used by Member States in the 2015-2019 data collection, see aforementioned table 2.1.2.1. Reference periods used by the Member States to collect data on pesticide use in agriculture.

Not relevant.

Based on the information provided in the national quality reports 2015-2019, some Member States compare pesticide use data with pesticide sales data. The figures are not expected to match, because pesticides are also used in other sectors (like for private use, forestry or for public green spaces) which are not covered in the agricultural use of pesticides. In addition, pesticide sales data reflect the sales of products which might not be used in the same year, whereas pesticide use data refer only to the actual use of pesticides in a year in a country. Pesticide use data can also arise from stocks of previous years and are therefore not covered in the pesticide sales data of the same year.

More detailed information on coherence between statistics on pesticide use in agriculture and other statistical domains, in particular that on pesticide sales, can be found in the attached national quality reports.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

According to the information provided in the national quality reports, all Member States used the same harmonised classifications of pesticides and crops. This theoretically ensures a good internal coherence of the data. No Member State has reported any issues related to internal coherence. However, Member States did not report on the same crops which lowers the coherence as well as the comparability.

Except for the common classification of pesticides and crops, countries are free to choose the way of data collection. Even estimations are allowed. Some use administrative data, others a sample survey or a census. The different approach to data collection is generally a factor which can lower the internal coherence of the data between countries. In particular, an exclusion of some activities (e.g. seed treatment - DE, SI, SE), of some specific units (organic farming - CZ, EL, LT and SE), or of some crop categories, may impact the comparability to some extent.

Differences between the various national concepts may generate two kinds of error. Either they are not taken into account and the statistical collections are incoherent between Member States, or they are corrected and some further errors can arise (over-coverage, processing error, loss of accuracy, etc.).

The Member States reported only few differences in the concepts (see above an exclusion of use of pesticide on seed treatment and exclusion of organic farming area), but this is probably an understatement, i.e. they reported the differences which they were aware of, but not the ones that they did not notice.

In the national quality report, the Member States were requested to identify and describe the means of dissemination used for making the statistics on pesticide use in agriculture available to users (including the various dissemination formats available as well as their accessibility). Any regular or ad-hoc press releases linked to the data set in question should also be described.

9.1.1. Publication of news releases

Regarding the news releases published by the Member States the information provided in the national reports can be summarised as follows:

• No ad-hoc news press releases linked to the data on pesticide use in agriculture - BE, BG, CZ, DE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LT, LU, HU, MT, AT, PL, PT, SK, SE.
• Ad-hoc press news linked to the data planned or already released - DK, EE, LV, NL, RO, SI, FI.

9.1.2. Link to news releases

On the Eurostat side, news releases are published on Eurostat's official webpage. The links to the news releases for seven Member States indicated under point 9.1.1. (DK, EE, LV, NL, RO, SI, FI) have been provided in the respective national quality reports. 

The Member States were invited to describe any regular or ad-hoc publications in which the data are made available to the public. The summary of information, as provided in the national quality reports on the use of pesticides in agriculture, is provided in table 9.2.1. below.

Table 9.2.1.: Dissemination via publications - National quality reports 2015-2019

Member States were invited to provide any relevant information regarding on-line databases in which the disseminated data can be accessed. The summary of information, as provided in the national quality reports on the use of pesticides in agriculture, is provided in table 9.3.1. below.

At the Eurostat side, in line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website 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.

Data are disseminated simultaneously to all interested parties through Eurostat's database under the data set name aei_pestuse. The frequency of dissemination is every five years in the year t+2. 't' is defined as the last year of the five-year period. For example, 2019 is the last year of the five-year period 2015-2019. In the following year, 2020, data are sent from the Member States to Eurostat, so that the dissemination can take place in 2021.

Table 9.3.1.: Dissemination via online database - National quality reports 2015-2019

See item 9.3. above.

No micro-data is disseminated. However, in some specific cases, several Member States indicated in the national quality report 2015-2019 that fully anonymised micro-data may be made available to accredited researchers upon request upon approval by the owner of the data.

9.4.1. Accessibility of micro-data

Not relevant

9.4.2. Link to micro-data

Not relevant

Following the information provided in the national quality reports 2015-2019, no other relevant dissemination formats have been reported. A research paper (accessible here) was published once on 08/04/2019 about the 'Statistics on agricultural use of pesticides in the European Union'. The purpose of the paper was to provide some insights in the data collected and to present a selection of results on the pesticide level of major groups after the experiences of the first data collection 2010-2014.

The methodology of each country is described in detail in the national quality reports.

At the national level, the available metadata should help national data users to interpret the data. The nomenclatures, definitions and classifications are reference information for data users but methodological or quality reports are also covered.

According to the information provided in the 2015-2019 national quality reports some national reference metadata files or/and important methodological papers, summary documents or other important handbooks were virtually available in all the Member States. The summary of information provided in the national quality reports can be found in table 9.6.1 below.

Table 9.6.1. Documentation on methodology - National quality reports 2015-2019

Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council stipulates that 'for the purpose of this Regulation, the quality criteria as laid down in Article 12 (1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 shall apply. Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with reports on the quality of the data transmitted as referred to in Annex II. The Commission (Eurostat) shall assess the quality of data transmitted' (Article 4 (1)(2)). 

Reports on the quality of the 2015-2019 data on pesticide use in agriculture (called national quality reports) exist for each Member State, and are attached to this EU level quality report[1].

[1] Due to technical issues the Spanish quality report will be published with a delay

Not relevant.

No specific metadata consultations have been reported by the Member States in the 2015-2019 data collection on pesticide use in agriculture.

Generally, the effort for some Member States to collect pesticide use data is very high, other Member States report that additional costs and burdens are very low, or that the collection of pesticide use data is even integrated in existing (obligatory) national data collections. Costs arise on the one hand for respondents (farmers) who have to spend time to collect the data, on the other hand for administrative authorities or similar institutions who are responsible for the compilation, preparation and transmission of the data to Eurostat. In some Member States the respondents get a refunding for their efforts.

Specific information can be found in the attached national quality reports.

10.1. Efficiency gains

According to the information provided in the national quality reports:

• 10 Member States (BE, DE, EE, EL, HR, LU, MT, AT, PT, FI) reported none efficiency gains in the 2015-2019 data collection period.
• 10 Member States (DK, FR, CY, LT, HU, NL, RO, SI, SK, SE) indicated further automation.
• 4 Member States (BG, CZ, NL, RO) increased use of administrative data.
• 4 Member States (ES, LT, NL. SE) specified efficiency gains by using an on-line survey, and
• 3 Member States (IE, ES, IT) indicated other, non-specified, efficiency gains.

10.2. Specification efficiency gains

In order to improve the overall efficiency of the statistical process, the following actions/steps have been undertaken by Member States and described in the national quality reports 2015-2019:

• IE: Training of surveyors, improvement and refining of survey questionnaire, electronic data collection, progress reports requested from surveyors identifying any issues encountered and overall progress, full support to each surveyor, data checking, good lines of communication , grassland survey mostly conducted via phone to reduce time on farm and costs.
• ES: It has also been possible to collect the necessary information by telephone and e-mail.
• FR: The construction of the reference frame for composition of the active substances and the calculation of the quantities of active substances from commercial products have been made reliable and automated.
• IT: CAWI technique as a possibility to answer to the survey has been introduced since 2018.
• SI: Standardisation of procedures (use of standard tools).
• SE: Coordinated data collection together with other agricultural surveys such as crop production and use of fertilizers.

10.3. Measures to reduce burden

The Member States were invited to provide any relevant information regarding measures that were used to reduce burden and cost of data collection on pesticide used in agriculture. The summary of information, as provided in the national reports on the use of pesticides in agriculture (2015-2019), is listed in table 10.3.1. below.

Table 10.3.1. Measures to reduce burden - National quality reports 2015-2019

10.4. Specification burden reduction

According to the information provided in the national quality reports, the following actions/steps were undertaken by Member States to reduce the burden and cost of pesticide use data collection:

• DK: Increased digitalization.
• EE: Development of administrative electronic databases for pesticide use.
• ES: The reduction of the burden on a reporting person mainly due to the fact that in 2019, compared to 2013, the owners of holdings have an obligation to keep their farm records completed for each marketing year.
• IT: The sample is possibly disjoint from other samples in agriculture surveys.
• AT: The use of all data on crops generated on farms that volunteer.
• SI: In 2017, both, the sample size and the number of observed crops were reduced.
• SE: Coordinated data collection together with other agricultural surveys such as crop production and use of fertilisers  and development of a new web tool for data collection.

Article 3.4 of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council stipulates that 'for reasons of confidentiality, the Commission (Eurostat) shall aggregate the data before publication in accordance with the chemical classes or categories of products indicated in Annex III, taking due account of the protection of confidential data at the level of individual Member State. The confidential data shall be used by national authorities and by the Commission (Eurostat) exclusively for statistical purposes, in accordance with Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009' .

The aforementioned Regulation (EC) 223/2009 (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 access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Confidentiality is an issue because it hampers the provision of usable figures to data users. Furthermore, it makes data treatment more complex and/or results in having to hide values throughout the statistical tables. A confidentiality flag is 'computed' for each aggregate. By default, if one or more components are confidential the aggregate is also flagged as confidential. Implementation of the confidentiality charter is based on the set of methods agreed and refer to the number of cells, the possible dominance of some of them and the logical links between the values with the same table or in different tables.

Detailed descriptions of national legislation (or any other formal provision) related to statistical confidentiality that applied for the data on pesticide use in agriculture can be found in the relevant national quality reports.

11.1.1. Transmission of confidential national data to Eurostat

According to the information provided in the national quality reports, the following Member States submit confidential data to Eurostat:

• Yes:  BG, EE, EL, ES, FR, IT, CY, LT, MT, PL, SI, SK, FI, SE
• No:   BE, CZ, DK, DE, IE, HR, LV, LU, HU, NL, AT, PT, RO

11.1.2. Confidentiality according to Regulation

• Yes:  BG, CZ, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, NL, AT, PT
• No:   BE, DE, LT, HU, MT, PL, RO, SI, SK, FI, SE

* DK reply not provided

11.1.3. Data confidentiality policy

The Member States were invited to provide any relevant information regarding data confidentiality policy applied to the 2015-2019 data collection on pesticide used in agriculture. The summary of information as provided in the national reports on the use of pesticides in agriculture, is provided below.

• BE       Confidential data is not published. Primary confidentiality and secondary confidentiality are treated.
• CZ       Statistical confidentiality does not apply to this data set.
• DK       No confidentiality rules apply to the data.
• DE       Due to aggregation of the data, it is not possibly to identify a person or economic entity (neither directly nor indirectly).
• EE        Data are disseminated or transmitted without characteristics enabling the identification of data subject, data were at least of three data subjects (whereby the role of a person’s data in consolidated data shall not exceed 90%). Data subject is a natural of legal person whose data have been collected.
• IE         Because of the data character (data for vegetables, arable, grassland and fodder crops, top fruit and soft fruit   and not total sales data, collected at grower/farmer level, only relevant to the crop being surveyed)  it can be published. In addition, in situations where there is certain minority crops (low areas and/or low numbers of growers) then these are amalgamated with other crops so that the minority crop area, farm, unit or individual cannot be directly or indirectly identified.
• EL        EL.STAT disseminates the statistics in compliance with the statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice and in particular with the principle of statistical confidentiality. EL.STAT protects and does not disseminate data it has obtained or it has access to, which enable the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units that have provided them by the disclosure of individual information directly received for statistical purposes or indirectly supplied from administrative or other sources. EL.STAT takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means that might reasonably be used by a third party.
• FR        Data concerning less than 3 units or data for which a single unit represents more than 85% of the value of the data is published with confidential status.
• HR       Statistical data collected in this survey, according to the Law on official statistics (NN, br. 25/20) is confidential and its purpose is restricted exclusively to statistical usage. The results will be published in a cumulative form which prevents displaying data on individuals.
• IT         Several national legal acts guarantee the confidentiality of data requested for statistical purposes.
• CY       National Statistics Law No. 15(I) of 2000.
• LV       There is no need to avoid identification. Data cover the use of active substances on crops, sample ensures protection (it is not known, which statistical units are surveyed).
• LT        Statistics LT fully guarantees the confidentiality of the data submitted by respondents (households, enterprises, institutions, organisations and other statistical units), as defined in the Confidentiality Policy Guidelines of Statistics LT.
• LU       Confidentiality of data has to be respected according to regulation (EC) 1217/2009 (FADN).
• HU       Data reported by at least 3 data providers are considered as public.
• PO       Rules of statistical confidentiality are included in the Law on official statistics from 29th June 1995 (art. 10 and art. 38).
• SI         Statistical confidentiality - national legislation.
• SK       Statistical data on the basis of which it would be possible to identify a statistical unit/respondent are considered as confidential.
• SE        Link to the national legislation provided.

Eurostat cannot disclose data on individual active substances. In addition, the aggregated data cannot always be disseminated if there is a direct or indirect (secondary confidentiality) risk of statistical units being identified. Confidential data is flagged 'c' in Eurostat's dissemination database (Eurobase). BE: The primary confidential cells (dominance rule or small count) are identified at the most detailed level. Then, we apply these primary rules at the different hierarchical levels. If in one aggregate, there is one confidential cell, then we sacrifice another cell (secondary confidentiality) to protect it.

• BG: Separate server, secured inner net without access of external users.
• ES: Logical, physical and administrative measures are taken to ensure that the protection of confidential data is effective, from data collection to publication. A legal clause providing information on the protection of the data collected is included in a letter sent to reporting persons. During data processing, data enabling direct identification are kept for only as long as is strictly necessary to guarantee the quality of the processing. When tables of results are published, the information is analysed in detail to prevent any deduction of confidential data about the statistical units. At the level of micro-data (which are not published but can be provided on request) the detail of the information is analysed to avoid that confidential data can be derived from the statistical units.
• FR: Data concerning less than 3 units or data for which a single unit represents more than 85% of the value of the data is published with confidential status.
• HR: The confidential cells are where 1) the number of individual records used for the calculation of the cell is too small, 2) the 2 individual records with the highest values represent at least 85% of the cell value. A filter is applied during the table compilation using the following processes: •dominance treatment: if any holdings account for at least 85% of the value, this value is put to zero; •small number of units: if a value is calculated from less than 3 holdings, this value is put to zero; •rounding: the values are rounded to the closer multiple of 1
• CY: Data are flagged as confidential when transmitted to Eurostat. Confidentiality rules are followed.
• LV: Threshold rule: data (either a cell or marginal total) in a table is confidential if the number of contributor is one, two or three statistical units (enterprises). Dominance rule: according to this rule, a cell is to be regarded as confidential if the share of one statistical unit in the respective indicator is 80% and more as well as if the total proportion of the two statistical units is 90% and above. There is no need to avoid identification. Data cover the use of active substances on crops, sample as a method for carrying out the survey, ensures protection (it is not known, which statistical units are surveyed).
• LT: Description of Statistical Disclosure Control Methods, approved by Order No DĮ-124 of 27 May 2008 of the Director General of Statistics LT. Integrated Statistical Information System Data Security Regulations and Rules for the Secure Management of Electronic Information in the Integrated Statistical Information System, approved by Order No DĮ-240 of 16 September 2020 of the Director General of Statistics LT.
• LU: General rules applicable at the level of public administrations, Special rules applicable at the level of Service d’Economie Rurale – division de la comptabilité agricole"
• HU: Data reported by at least 3 data providers are considered as public. Data of less than 3 data providers cannot be published. Confidential data are flagged and can only be published  as an aggregate.
• MT: If an active substance has been flagged as confidential in the annual compilation related to sales of plant protection products, then it has been flagged also as confidential for the use survey.
• PL: The Law on official statistics, article 38 1. It shall not be allowed to publish or disseminate individual data obtained in the statistical services of official statistics. 2. It shall not be allowed to publish or disseminate obtained in statistical surveys of official statistics statistical information which can be linked or can identify natural persons or individual data characterising business entities, especially if the aggregated data consist of less than three entities or the share of one entity in the compilation is higher than the three-fourths of the total.
• RO: According to Law No 226/2009 on RO official organisation and functioning with its subsequent amendments and additions, the individual data registered on the PUA 2018 questionnaires are confidential and to be used only for statistical purposes. Keeping the data confidential by NIS permanent staff is mandatory as provided by Law No 226/2009. The statistical disclosure control by NIS temporary staff is mandatory as stipulated in their employment contracts.
• SK: Since it is difficult to identify particular users of pesticides among the large number of national users (even on the level of substances/crops) it is not necessary to treat the data in data set on pesticide use in terms of primary confidentiality. However according to the instruction from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the SR (owner of national data on pesticide use), it has to be ensured that it is not possible by any means to identify confidential (sensitive) data on pesticide sales on the basis of data on pesticide use for given year.
• FI: See section "11.2. Confidentiality - data treatment" in the quality report of crop production statistics of FI (CROPROD_ESQRSCP_A_FI_2019_0000, see "3 - Annexes").

11.2.1. Procedures for confidentiality

Member States were invited to provide any relevant information regarding the procedures that were used to ensure data confidentiality. The summary of information as provided in the national reports on the use of pesticides in agriculture (2015-2019), is provided below.

• BE: It is very difficult to find individual data because the data are extrapolated from a sample. It would take a lot of information to be able to try to approach the microdata.
• DE: Electronic raw data are stored in a database running only in the JKI's internal network. Reporting forms in paper form are kept under lock and key for 10 years. After that, they are disposed of in a way which ensures confidentiality. In the JKI report which is published on the internet, data on use of active substances are aggregated in such a way that inferences to individual farms are not possible.
• IE: Data is examined from both a specific crop and location and size perspective. For example a specific crop if grown on a small area may indirectly identify a farm or individual farmer. To ensure statistical confidentiality crops of small national areas and/or in specific geographical locations are amalgamated with other crops so as not to directly or indirectly identify the farm or individual involved. This is carefully examined during the analysis and post analysis period and depending on outcomes amalgamation may be needed as detailed above and then data is re analysed.  This process is carried out prior to draft and final published survey report and this process is applicable to all surveys 2015-2018.
• EL: For every active substance, the respective quantity used was flagged as primarily confidential, when there were up to 2 contributing products (i.e. pesticides sold under different commercial names, small counts rule) or when a single contributing product accounted for more than 95% of the total sales (dominance rule). Secondary confidentiality was further assessed using the τ-argus software. Area treated was considered confidential when the respective quantity used, was flagged as confidential.
• ES: The data on quantities of active substances as well as on areas provided to EUROSTAT per crop are initially not confidential. This data comes from a representative sample of 4.232 agricultural holdings across the country. Plant protection products are collected and disaggregated into the active substances, following the process of data cleaning, the data are uploaded at national level, so that the identity of the reporting persons cannot be revealed.
• FR: Data concerning less than 3 units or data for which a single unit represents more than 85% of the value of the data are detected automatically.
• HR: In the ongoing CBS restructuring, it is foreseen to place the focal point for ensuring confidentiality, including provision of guidance, recommending appropriate methodologies and periodical examination of methods used for data protection, within the Statistical Business Register, Classifications, Sampling, Statistical Methods and Analyses Department. A filter is applied during the table compilation using the following processes:

• dominance treatment: if any holdings account for at least 85% of the value, this value is put to zero;
• small number of units: if a value is calculated from less than 3 holdings, this value is put to zero;
• rounding: the values are rounded to the closer multiple of 10.

• IT: No confidentiality treatments are required for the current dissemination policy, since data are not disseminated by active substances.
• LV: There is no need to avoid identification. Data cover the use of active substances on crops, sample as a method for carrying out the survey, ensures protection (it is not known, which statistical units are surveyed).
• LT: If there was any confidential information in aggregated data, confidentiality flags were added. Confidentiality rules: statistical information was prepared using data obtained from less than of three respondents; statistical data from one respondent represent more than 70 per cent of the total volume of statistical indicator; aggregated statistical data of two respondents represent more than 85 per cent of the volume of whole statistical indicator.
• PL: The principles of treating datasets are governed by Internal Regulation No. 12 of the CSO President of 2 April 2014 on the Principles of Statistical Data Treatment. Article 38 of the Law on Official Statistics is another important provision regarding statistical confidentiality. Paragraph 1 thereof stipulates that “It shall not be allowed to publish or disseminate individual data obtained in the statistical services of official statistics”, which refers to any statistical information which can be linked to, or which can identify, a natural person. The reference article, in connection with Article 10, obliges the staff of the official statistical services to comply with statistical confidentiality in such a way that no personal or individual data, or data characterizing economic results of entities in the national economy conducting business activity cannot be made available, in particular, when aggregated data consist of less than 3 entities, single entity in the general statement is greater than ¾ full.
• SI: Primary data protection is done on the basis of number of reporting units. Secondary data protection is done for non-disclosure due to aggregates on different levels and due to different tables published. As data on active substances themselves are computed from quantities of plant protection products consumed and as they refer mainly to groups of crops, no further data protection was considered necessary.
• SK: Data on substances which are confidential in the data set for pesticide sales are labelled also as confidential (secondary confidentiality "G") in the data set for pesticide use - to avoid identification of confidential data on pesticide sales on the basis of data on pesticide use for given year.
• SE: Primary data protection is done on the basis of number of reporting units and of dominance of some reporting units. Secondary data protection is done for some active substances.

11.2.2. Additional comments confidentiality - data treatment

• BE: In the future, a system which would make it possible not to disclose the information if there are less than x respondents in the sample could be set up. However, such a system should be considered at national level otherwise there is a risk to have a large number of confidential cells.
• ES: The risk of a reporting person being identified is assessed. The following are taken into account: 1. The direct identification variables: names, addresses, municipalities, identification numbers (these are not provided), and 2. The indirect identification variables that are not directly identified, but which together facilitate the identification of reporting persons. The risk assessment is based on searching for rare combinations in the target population to allow the identification of the reporting person.

Note: In the Member States, three criteria are especially used for assessing confidential values. The first criterion is the minimum number of statistical units for which data can be published together. The most often, the number is 3, but may be lower, for instance if the precise values are not displayed, or even higher, for example 5. The second criterion refers to dominance. If a statistical unit accounts, for instance, for 95 % of a cell value, estimating its value is easy. Therefore the data from one, two or more dominant units can be made confidential in such a case. About half of the statistics refer to only one dominant record and half to two. Finally, when a value is hidden in a table, it could be calculated from the discrepancy with the other values. Therefore a further treatment is applied, for instance by hiding one or several other secondary confidential values. Only some Member States reported this treatment that is probably used everywhere.

HR       Within the frame of two studies ("Impact of agriculture on surface and groundwater pollution in the Republic of HR" and "Determination of priority groundwater monitoring areas within an intensive agricultural area"), an analysis of pesticide consumption in agriculture in HR was conducted. Consumption analysis was carried out with the aim of determining the pressure from agriculture on surface and groundwater. The aim was to determine potentially dangerous active substances of pesticides for water and the environment in general. The analysis has been done on the basis of consumed quantities of active substances and based on the agricultural land use. Data on the type, amount consumed and crop treated are necessary for establishing and conducting regular monitoring of waters in HR. Collected data enables professionals to develop a strategy to reduce pesticide residues in plant products and in the environment in general. Consumption data are based on available Phytosanitary Information System (FIS) data.

PL        Restricted from publication.

PT        Too burdensome, too detailed.

RO       Work with Eurostat experts will continue to improve the data collection on pesticide use in agriculture.

SI         Pesticides used on seeds are not taken into account.

SE        Since 1994, the government has appointed the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) to be responsible for official statistics within this area. Statistics SE is the producer of the Statistics.