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.
Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Eurostat - Unit E.1: Agriculture and fisheries
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
5 Rue Alphonse Weicker, L-2721 Luxembourg
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
7 October 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
7 October 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
7 October 2025
3.1. Data description
Crop production statistics provide annual data on agricultural areas, harvested production, and yields of various crops in EU Member States, EFTA countries, and candidate and potential candidate countries. These figures are crucial for understanding agricultural trends, food security, and the economic performance of the agricultural sector.
The crop production statistics collected by Eurostat refer to the following types of annual data:
Sown area, harvested production, yield of annual arable land crops, including main area for most important categories of arable land crops
Main area and harvested production of permanent grasslands (production data is available only from 2025 reference period onwards)
Harvested area and harvested production of fresh vegetables and strawberries, main area of total fresh vegetables, and flowers and ornamental plants, and production of cultivated mushrooms
Production area and harvested production of permanent crops for human consumption, and main area for main categories of permanent crops, including nurseries and other permanent crops.
The areas are expressed in 1 000 hectares, the harvested quantities in 1 000 tonnes and the yields in tonne/ha. The production and yield data are available in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1) and in national humidity (apro_cpnh1). The information concerns more than 100 crops.
Regional metadata
The crop area and production data are available at national (NUTS 0) level, but for some crops regional figures are available as well at NUTS 1 and 2 levels, except for Germany, that is only available at NUTS 1 level. Please note that for chapters where no metadata for regional data has been specified the regional metadata is identical to the metadata for the national data.
Crop production statistics are classified under the classification of economic activities in the European Union (EU) - NACE Section A (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing), specifically within Division 01 (Agriculture) and its related groups. These include activities like the growing of non-perennial crops (01.1), growing of perennial crops (01.2), plant propagation (01.3), and mixed farming (01.5).
The data covers at least 95 % of the total utilised agricultural area, excluding kitchen gardens, of each Member State, as well as the related production volumes.
Prior to the reference year 2025, the total utilised agricultural area also included the area of kitchen gardens.
For cereals for the production of grain, dry pulses and protein crops, root crops, industrial crops, and plants harvested green, the areas refer to the sown area. The sown area is the total area sown or planted with a crop for which harvesting starts during the reference calendar year, regardless of when the planting takes place. In cases where the crop is sown or planted more than once during a year on the same parcel, the area is multiplied by the number of plantings.
For vegetables, the area refers to the harvested area. Since many vegetables have a short growing cycle, several harvests can occur during the same year, allowing the same area to be used multiple times. For this reason, the harvested area can be significantly larger than the physical area of a parcel (main area).
For permanent crops, the area refers to the production area. The production area refers to the area that can potentially be harvested in the reference harvest year. All non-producing areas are excluded, such as new plantations that have not yet started to produce, or areas abandoned for more than 5 years.
The concept of "main area" corresponds, in general, to the area of the land parcel. The occupation linked to that area is the unique main crop that has occupied the parcel during the harvest year. The harvest year is the calendar year in which the harvest begins, including the period during which all preparatory measures (such as tilling, planting, and applying fertilisers and plant protection products) are taken to secure that harvest, also during the preceding calendar year.
In the case of annual crops, the main area corresponds to the sown area. For permanent crops, in addition to the production area, non-productive young plantations and temporarily abandoned areas are also included in the main area. In case of successive crops (mostly vegetables), the area is taken into account only once and refers to the main crop, which is defined as the crop that has the highest value of production. If the value of production does not determine what the main crop is, then the main crop is the one that occupies the parcel for the longest time. In the case of combined crops, it corresponds to the area where the crops co-exist. In this manner, each area is listed only once. Agricultural areas combined with woodland should be split up pro rata to the use of the land.
Production refers to the harvested production. Harvested production means the total production that is harvested and transported away from the field. It includes losses and wastage that take place on the agricultural holding during and after harvest, including losses during storage and packaging.
The picture below illustrates the main agricultural production terms and their meanings.
Based on the information on sown areas, harvested production and humidity levels, Eurostat calculates the crop yield for certain arable crops and publishes it in both the European and national standard humidity. In this context, humidity refers to the percentage of moisture present in the harvested crop.
3.5. Statistical unit
The statistical unit is an agricultural holding or a common land agricultural unit, which has land used for agricultural activity. The observation unit is the land used for agricultural activity by an agricultural holding or by a common land agricultural unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The statistical population includes all the agricultural holdings and common land agricultural units having land used for agricultural activity.
3.7. Reference area
The crop production statistics cover the European Union Member States, EFTA/EEA countries (except Liechtenstein, which is exempt from the data transmission obligation), candidate countries and potential candidate countries. Data of the United Kingdom are kept in Eurostat’s database until 2020; those data are not revised and not updated.
The reference area for a country is the country's territory. In crop production statistics it covers the total utilised agricultural area within this territory.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The data are annual and presented in time series for each country and for the EU. The period covered for each individual country depends on its accession to the European Union, or on its agreement with the European Union about delivering crop production statistics data. The earliest data are available from 1955 for cereals and from the early 1960s for fruits and vegetables.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The areas are expressed in 1 000 hectares.
The harvested quantities are expressed in 1 000 tonnes.
The yield is expressed in t/ha.
The humidity is expressed in %.
The reference period is the harvest year. The harvest year is the calendar year in which the harvest begins, including the period during which all preparatory measures (such as tilling, planting, and applying fertilisers and plant protection products) are taken to secure that harvest, also during the preceding calendar year. For example, data for the year 2025 refers to production harvested in that year.
For certain crops, such as citrus fruit or olives, a harvest may start in the last quarter of the year and can finish in the following year, particularly for late-season varieties. By convention, the production of year N is the production for which harvesting started in year N, even though harvesting may finish in year N+1 (N being the reference year for data published by Eurostat). For instance, if the orange harvest starts in December 2025 and ends in February 2026, the whole production should be recorded in the year 2025.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
No formal agreements in place. However, Eurostat makes available all the non-confidential data in the Eurostat database.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Eurostat publishes national data that are delivered according to the relevant legislation and are not considered to be of truly confidential nature in line with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics.
Most national data for crop production statistics are not confidential. If some data are of truly confidential nature according to the above-mentioned regulation (data which allow statistical units to be identified, either directly or indirectly), they have to be flagged confidential, and will not be published by Eurostat.
8.1. Release calendar
In crop production statistics, national data are published after their reception and validation, in general approximately two weeks after the data transmission deadlines, which are in line with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538 as follows:
Data set i.1: Arable crops and permanent grassland Data delivery for each crop year takes place in several data transmissions. The first data delivery for sown areas of some specific crops from arable land takes place at the end of January of year N (the current reference year). The final area and production data for arable land crops and permanent grassland are delivered at the end of September of the following year (N+1). In between, there may be up to five intermediate data deliveries for area and production data. All data delivered before the last final delivery are considered preliminary.
Data set i.2 Horticulture excluding permanent crops First estimate of the area of tomatoes is delivered by some countries at the end of June of year N, while final data on harvested area and production for fresh vegetables and mushrooms are delivered at the end of May of year N+1.
Data set i.3 Permanent crops First estimates of production area and production for certain specific permanent crops are delivered at the end of November of year N, with final data for fruits, berries, and nuts arriving at the end of March of year N+1. Final data for citrus fruits, grapes, and olives are delivered at the end of September of year N+1 due to their late harvest.
The information on main area of main categories of arable crops and permanent grassland, total fresh vegetables (including melons) and strawberries, flowers and ornamental plants (excluding nurseries) and main categories of permanent crops for human consumption, along with regional data for certain crops from arable land, is submitted once a year, at the end of September of year N+1.
The Eurostat's release calendar provides information on the scheduled release dates for certain European aggregates and other statistical data.
8.2. Release calendar access
The Eurostat's release calendar provides information on the scheduled release dates for certain European aggregates and other statistical data.
Eurostat compiles crop production statistics on an annual basis, collecting and disseminating both preliminary and final data from Member States throughout the year in accordance with specific deadlines. The provisional data are replaced by the final data once these have been transmitted and validated.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
News releases are available on-line (no regular press release calendar exists).
The crop production statistical data are disseminated in full detail in the Eurostat database.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The SAIO crop production statistics handbook on CIRCABC provides methodological clarifications to the requirements laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538. The definitions and concepts applied prior to the 2025 reference year are provided in the Annual crop statistics Handbook, 2023 Edition, on CIRCABC. Further methodological documents are available in the Agriculture statistics dedicated section of the Eurostat website. The national reference metadata files, which contain detailed information on methodologies applied at country level, can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
National reference metadata of the reporting countries can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file. The quality documentation is also published on the Agriculture statistics dedicated section of the Eurostat website.
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality checks and validation of data for consistency and plausibility are performed throughout the data collection process by the national statistical authorities and then by Eurostat. If any issues are found, Eurostat contacts the relevant Member State to verify and confirm or correct the data.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Eurostat monitors regularly the quality of crop production statistics. In general, the availability, completeness and punctuality of crop production statistics are good.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The crop production statistics are utilized by a wide range of users and serve various purposes. The primary user is the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI). Other key users include other Commission services (e.g., DG Environment, the Joint Research Centre), European institutions and agencies (e.g., EFSA), National Statistical Institutes and other national administrations, economic actors (such as traders, processing industries, producer groups, and unions), research institutes, journalists, and the general public.
The objectives of the data users are multifaceted, encompassing analysis, dissemination, and information provision for both specialists and the public, as well as supporting financial investors, forecasts, market management, decisions on production, internal and external trade, documentation, methodology development, and other purposes.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No user satisfaction survey exists.
12.3. Completeness
Most of the requested data are available, but there are some missing data in the older time series. In line with the data requirements, Member States must report to Eurostat data for all crops listed in the SAIO Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538. Please note that not all crop variables were covered by legislation prior to the 2025 reference year, and hence their transmission was not obligatory.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy is guaranteed at national and Community levels, by eliminating as much as possible non-sampling errors and by calculating sampling errors. Generally, the accuracy of the final crop production data is assessed to be good. The available information on accuracy at country level is summarized in the national reference metadata files that can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
13.2. Sampling error
Data collected via a sample and extrapolated to the entire statistical population must meet the precision requirements provided in the SAIO Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538. The national reference metadata files, which contain information on sampling errors at country level, can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
13.3. Non-sampling error
The national reference metadata files, which contain information on non-sampling errors at country level, can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
14.1. Timeliness
The deadlines for transmitting crop production data are set by legislation. Countries must submit their data to Eurostat by the following deadlines, where N represents the reference year:
Arable crop and permanent grasslands
31-Jan-year N
30-Jun-year N
31-Aug-year N
30-Sep-year N
30-Nov-year N
31-Mar-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Horticulture excluding permanent crops
30-Jun-year N
30-Sep-year N
31-May-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Permanent crops
30-Nov-N
31-Mar-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Main land use
30-Sep-year N+1
Data for some crops is delivered in multiple transmissions. The initial data delivery can occur as early as January of the reference year, with the final data arriving at the end of September of the following year. In between, there may be several intermediate data deliveries. Any data delivered prior to the final transmission is considered preliminary. Especially for the earlier data transmission deadlines, the number of crops for which data are requested can be limited and apply only to the main producting countries of these crops.
Typically, the longest time lag between the end of the reference year and the final data transmission is 9 months. The final data is released 10-12 months after the end of the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
The regular compliance assessment confirms that most reporting countries respect the legal deadlines, with any delayed data transmissions being only marginally late, typically by just a few days.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The use of common definitions, classifications, and methodological concepts, as outlined in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538 and in the handbook, ensures good geographical comparability between national data. However, the countries may apply different data collection methods (estimations, surveys, use of administrative sources). The national reference metadata files, which contain information on national data collection methods, can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
15.2. Comparability - over time
As the time series is very long (dating back to 1955), it is impossible to guarantee full comparability over time due to changes in the legal basis, methodological changes, new classifications, and the addition of new Member States providing data. The data for Germany only covers the former territory of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) until 1990. From the 2025 reference year onwards, crop production statistics will be collected in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538, which may affect comparability with pre-2025 data for some variables.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The cross-domain comparability for the large majority of the countries is good. Eurostat is working together with the other countries to improve the cross-domain comparability. Differences in comparability may be linked to the use of different data sources and data collection methods.
15.4. Coherence - internal
To achieve the best possible harmonisation and coherence of the data produced in the Member States, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538 and the handbook provide the Member States with a common methodology, definitions and further conceptual clarifications. The internal consistency of data is ensured by the application of a wide range of validation rules and stable definitions of the variables and dimensions, to eliminate possible consistency errors.
The data are collected by the Member States by using surveys, administrative sources and expert estimates. The exact cost of the data collection is not known by Eurostat.
Revision of data is a normal process in the production of statistics to improve their quality.
In crop production statistics, the data are transmitted on dates stipulated by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538. Initially, the data are provisional and can be routinely revised several times. Whenever new data are provided and validated, the previously disseminated data are updated accordingly. Data may be published even if the dataset is incomplete, with some data missing, flagged as provisional or of low reliability for certain countries. These provisional data are later replaced with final data once they are transmitted and validated. The European aggregates and their components are always updated to ensure consistency with country-level data. However, discrepancies may occur between the European aggregate and the corresponding sum of national data from EU Member States between updates. Data are considered final in the year following the harvest year, in accordance with the legislation. In case of unscheduled revisions, all reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.
18.1. Source data
Surveys, administrative data, and estimates based on expert observations are the main data sources. These sources are not the same for every Member State but are adapted to national conditions and statistical practices. The data sources used must allow to produce statistics that meet the quality requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) 2022/2379.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data are collected annually. Member States first send provisional data, which are updated until the final data become available.
18.3. Data collection
The crop statistics are collected by the National Statistical Institutes and/or Ministries of Agriculture by using several statistical data collection methods:
sample surveys
administrative data sources
expert estimates.
Most often a combination of several methods is used.
The Member States are required to send the data via eDamis on all variables listed in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538. Regular reminders are sent if the countries haven't submitted the data covered by the regulation.
18.4. Data validation
The Member States are responsible for checking and validating the data before transmitting it to Eurostat. Whenever countries transmit crop production data to Eurostat, it is automatically validated against a set of predefined validation rules. This validation process generates a validation report, which is accessible to the countries. If errors are detected, countries must re-submit their data, taking into account the messages in the automatic validation report. Once the data has passed this initial validation, Eurostat performs further checks on the plausibility of the data itself, within the time series, and between different datasets.
18.5. Data compilation
The Member States send the national data to Eurostat, which is then responsible for the calculation of the EU-aggregates.
While the area aggregates are calculated by simply summing up the national areas reported by EU Member States, the aggregation of production figures requires additional adjustments before publication. The Member States report production data for certain cereals, oilseeds, and dry pulses at their national humidity levels*.
To standardize the data and compile the EU aggregates, Eurostat first converts the production of these crops to the following standard EU humidity levels:
Cereals (except rice):14 %
Rice: 13%
Dry pulses and protein crops: 14 %
Oilseeds (except soya): 9 %
Soya: 14 %
The recalculation to the EU standard humidity (HU) is based on the following formula:
Production in the EU standard Humidity = (Harvested production x (100 – national HU))/(100 – EU standard HU)
From 2025 onwards, production data for all plants harvested green and for permanent grassland must be delivered in dry matter, which means that the humidity level should be 0%. As a result, EU aggregates from 2025 onwards will also be calculated using a zero humidity percentage. In contrast, for the years prior to 2025, national production data for plants harvested green were delivered in national humidity levels, which varied by country, and EU aggregates were calculated using a standard humidity percentage of 65%.
EU aggregates of production data are published in the standard EU humidity only, both in table Crop production in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1) and Crop production in national humidity (apro_cpnh1).
* National humidities for certain cereals, oilseeds and dry pulses are available in the Eurostat dissemination database under the 'Humidity' dimension in the national views (table apro_nh1).
Crop production statistics provide annual data on agricultural areas, harvested production, and yields of various crops in EU Member States, EFTA countries, and candidate and potential candidate countries. These figures are crucial for understanding agricultural trends, food security, and the economic performance of the agricultural sector.
The crop production statistics collected by Eurostat refer to the following types of annual data:
Sown area, harvested production, yield of annual arable land crops, including main area for most important categories of arable land crops
Main area and harvested production of permanent grasslands (production data is available only from 2025 reference period onwards)
Harvested area and harvested production of fresh vegetables and strawberries, main area of total fresh vegetables, and flowers and ornamental plants, and production of cultivated mushrooms
Production area and harvested production of permanent crops for human consumption, and main area for main categories of permanent crops, including nurseries and other permanent crops.
The areas are expressed in 1 000 hectares, the harvested quantities in 1 000 tonnes and the yields in tonne/ha. The production and yield data are available in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1) and in national humidity (apro_cpnh1). The information concerns more than 100 crops.
Regional metadata
The crop area and production data are available at national (NUTS 0) level, but for some crops regional figures are available as well at NUTS 1 and 2 levels, except for Germany, that is only available at NUTS 1 level. Please note that for chapters where no metadata for regional data has been specified the regional metadata is identical to the metadata for the national data.
For cereals for the production of grain, dry pulses and protein crops, root crops, industrial crops, and plants harvested green, the areas refer to the sown area. The sown area is the total area sown or planted with a crop for which harvesting starts during the reference calendar year, regardless of when the planting takes place. In cases where the crop is sown or planted more than once during a year on the same parcel, the area is multiplied by the number of plantings.
For vegetables, the area refers to the harvested area. Since many vegetables have a short growing cycle, several harvests can occur during the same year, allowing the same area to be used multiple times. For this reason, the harvested area can be significantly larger than the physical area of a parcel (main area).
For permanent crops, the area refers to the production area. The production area refers to the area that can potentially be harvested in the reference harvest year. All non-producing areas are excluded, such as new plantations that have not yet started to produce, or areas abandoned for more than 5 years.
The concept of "main area" corresponds, in general, to the area of the land parcel. The occupation linked to that area is the unique main crop that has occupied the parcel during the harvest year. The harvest year is the calendar year in which the harvest begins, including the period during which all preparatory measures (such as tilling, planting, and applying fertilisers and plant protection products) are taken to secure that harvest, also during the preceding calendar year.
In the case of annual crops, the main area corresponds to the sown area. For permanent crops, in addition to the production area, non-productive young plantations and temporarily abandoned areas are also included in the main area. In case of successive crops (mostly vegetables), the area is taken into account only once and refers to the main crop, which is defined as the crop that has the highest value of production. If the value of production does not determine what the main crop is, then the main crop is the one that occupies the parcel for the longest time. In the case of combined crops, it corresponds to the area where the crops co-exist. In this manner, each area is listed only once. Agricultural areas combined with woodland should be split up pro rata to the use of the land.
Production refers to the harvested production. Harvested production means the total production that is harvested and transported away from the field. It includes losses and wastage that take place on the agricultural holding during and after harvest, including losses during storage and packaging.
The picture below illustrates the main agricultural production terms and their meanings.
Based on the information on sown areas, harvested production and humidity levels, Eurostat calculates the crop yield for certain arable crops and publishes it in both the European and national standard humidity. In this context, humidity refers to the percentage of moisture present in the harvested crop.
The statistical unit is an agricultural holding or a common land agricultural unit, which has land used for agricultural activity. The observation unit is the land used for agricultural activity by an agricultural holding or by a common land agricultural unit.
The statistical population includes all the agricultural holdings and common land agricultural units having land used for agricultural activity.
The crop production statistics cover the European Union Member States, EFTA/EEA countries (except Liechtenstein, which is exempt from the data transmission obligation), candidate countries and potential candidate countries. Data of the United Kingdom are kept in Eurostat’s database until 2020; those data are not revised and not updated.
The reference area for a country is the country's territory. In crop production statistics it covers the total utilised agricultural area within this territory.
The reference period is the harvest year. The harvest year is the calendar year in which the harvest begins, including the period during which all preparatory measures (such as tilling, planting, and applying fertilisers and plant protection products) are taken to secure that harvest, also during the preceding calendar year. For example, data for the year 2025 refers to production harvested in that year.
For certain crops, such as citrus fruit or olives, a harvest may start in the last quarter of the year and can finish in the following year, particularly for late-season varieties. By convention, the production of year N is the production for which harvesting started in year N, even though harvesting may finish in year N+1 (N being the reference year for data published by Eurostat). For instance, if the orange harvest starts in December 2025 and ends in February 2026, the whole production should be recorded in the year 2025.
The accuracy is guaranteed at national and Community levels, by eliminating as much as possible non-sampling errors and by calculating sampling errors. Generally, the accuracy of the final crop production data is assessed to be good. The available information on accuracy at country level is summarized in the national reference metadata files that can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
The areas are expressed in 1 000 hectares.
The harvested quantities are expressed in 1 000 tonnes.
The yield is expressed in t/ha.
The humidity is expressed in %.
The Member States send the national data to Eurostat, which is then responsible for the calculation of the EU-aggregates.
While the area aggregates are calculated by simply summing up the national areas reported by EU Member States, the aggregation of production figures requires additional adjustments before publication. The Member States report production data for certain cereals, oilseeds, and dry pulses at their national humidity levels*.
To standardize the data and compile the EU aggregates, Eurostat first converts the production of these crops to the following standard EU humidity levels:
Cereals (except rice):14 %
Rice: 13%
Dry pulses and protein crops: 14 %
Oilseeds (except soya): 9 %
Soya: 14 %
The recalculation to the EU standard humidity (HU) is based on the following formula:
Production in the EU standard Humidity = (Harvested production x (100 – national HU))/(100 – EU standard HU)
From 2025 onwards, production data for all plants harvested green and for permanent grassland must be delivered in dry matter, which means that the humidity level should be 0%. As a result, EU aggregates from 2025 onwards will also be calculated using a zero humidity percentage. In contrast, for the years prior to 2025, national production data for plants harvested green were delivered in national humidity levels, which varied by country, and EU aggregates were calculated using a standard humidity percentage of 65%.
EU aggregates of production data are published in the standard EU humidity only, both in table Crop production in EU standard humidity (apro_cpsh1) and Crop production in national humidity (apro_cpnh1).
* National humidities for certain cereals, oilseeds and dry pulses are available in the Eurostat dissemination database under the 'Humidity' dimension in the national views (table apro_nh1).
Surveys, administrative data, and estimates based on expert observations are the main data sources. These sources are not the same for every Member State but are adapted to national conditions and statistical practices. The data sources used must allow to produce statistics that meet the quality requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) 2022/2379.
Eurostat compiles crop production statistics on an annual basis, collecting and disseminating both preliminary and final data from Member States throughout the year in accordance with specific deadlines. The provisional data are replaced by the final data once these have been transmitted and validated.
The deadlines for transmitting crop production data are set by legislation. Countries must submit their data to Eurostat by the following deadlines, where N represents the reference year:
Arable crop and permanent grasslands
31-Jan-year N
30-Jun-year N
31-Aug-year N
30-Sep-year N
30-Nov-year N
31-Mar-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Horticulture excluding permanent crops
30-Jun-year N
30-Sep-year N
31-May-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Permanent crops
30-Nov-N
31-Mar-year N+1
30-Sep-year N+1
Main land use
30-Sep-year N+1
Data for some crops is delivered in multiple transmissions. The initial data delivery can occur as early as January of the reference year, with the final data arriving at the end of September of the following year. In between, there may be several intermediate data deliveries. Any data delivered prior to the final transmission is considered preliminary. Especially for the earlier data transmission deadlines, the number of crops for which data are requested can be limited and apply only to the main producting countries of these crops.
Typically, the longest time lag between the end of the reference year and the final data transmission is 9 months. The final data is released 10-12 months after the end of the reference year.
The use of common definitions, classifications, and methodological concepts, as outlined in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538 and in the handbook, ensures good geographical comparability between national data. However, the countries may apply different data collection methods (estimations, surveys, use of administrative sources). The national reference metadata files, which contain information on national data collection methods, can be accessed at the top right corner of the reference metadata file.
As the time series is very long (dating back to 1955), it is impossible to guarantee full comparability over time due to changes in the legal basis, methodological changes, new classifications, and the addition of new Member States providing data. The data for Germany only covers the former territory of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) until 1990. From the 2025 reference year onwards, crop production statistics will be collected in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538, which may affect comparability with pre-2025 data for some variables.
