Archive:Enlargement countries - agriculture, forestry and fisheries statistics

Data from October 2014. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: November 2015.

This article is part of an online publication and provides information on a range of statistics for the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors of the European Union's (EU) enlargement countries, in other words the candidate countries and potential candidates. Montenegro, Iceland ^[1], the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey currently have candidate status, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence) are potential candidates.

The article provides an overview of recent developments in the enlargement countries, presenting indicators such as the relative importance of agriculture, forestry and fishing in terms of their contribution to total gross value added and employment. It also provides more detailed data on agricultural land use, agricultural production, livestock populations and meat production, as well as trade in food and live animals.

Main statistical findings

File:Share of gross value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev 2), 2003 and 2013 (% of total gross value added) 2014.png

Figure 1: Share of gross value added from agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev. 2), 2003 and 2013
(% of total gross value added) - Source: Eurostat (nama_nace10_c) and (cpc_ecnabrk)

File:Share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev 2), 2003 and 2013 (% of total employment) 2014.png

Figure 2: Share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing (NACE Rev. 2), 2003 and 2013
(% of total employment) - Source: Eurostat (lfsa_egana), (lfsa_egan2) and (cpc_pslm)

File:Utilised agricultural area, 2003, 2008 and 2013 (% of total area) 2014.png

Figure 3: Utilised agricultural area, 2003, 2008 and 2013
(% of total area) - Source: Eurostat (appro_cpp_luse), (demo_r_d3area) and (cpc_agmain)

File:Agricultural production, 2003, 2008 and 2013 (thousand tonnes) 2014.png

Table 1: Agricultural production, 2003, 2008 and 2013
(thousand tonnes) - Source: Eurostat (apro_mt_lscatl), (apro_mt_lspig), (apro_mt_lssheep), (apro_mt_lsgoar) and (cpc_agmain)

File:Livestock population, 2003, 2008 and 2013 (¹) (thousand heads) 2014.png

Table 2: Livestock population, 2003, 2008 and 2013 (¹)
(thousand heads) - Source: Eurostat (apro_cpp_crop), (apro_mk_farm) and (cpc_agmain)

File:Slaughtered animal production, 2003, 2008 and 2013 (thousand tonnes) 2014.png

Table 3: Slaughtered animal production, 2003, 2008 and 2013
(thousand tonnes) - Source: Eurostat (apro_mt_pann) and (cpc_agmain)

File:Imports of food and live animals, 2003–13 (million EUR) 2014.png

Table 4: Imports of food and live animals, 2003–13
(million EUR) - Source: Eurostat (ext_st_eu28sitc) and (cpc_etsitc)

File:Exports of food and live animals, 2003–13 (million EUR) 2014.png

Table 5: Exports of food and live animals, 2003–13
(million EUR) - Source: Eurostat (ext_st_eu28sitc) and (cpc_etsitc)

Gross value added and employment

The share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in value added is considerably higher in enlargement countries than in the EU

The relative weight of agriculture, forestry and fishing in terms of their contribution to gross value added was 1.7 % in the EU-28 in 2013 (see Figure 1). This was considerably smaller than in any of the enlargement countries, where Turkey recorded the lowest share at 7.4 %. In four of the enlargement countries these activities contributed at least one tenth of total value added, peaking at 22.2 % in Albania.

Between 2003 and 2013 the relative contribution of agriculture, forestry and fishing to value added in the EU-28 fell from 2.0 % to 1.7 %. All of the enlargement countries (time series not available for Kosovo) also recorded a decline in their respective shares of value added from these activities, with reductions of more than 2 percentage points observed for Montenegro (between 2003 and 2012), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (also between 2003 and 2012) and Turkey.

Employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing in the EU-28 accounted for 4.9 % of the total number of persons employed in 2013 (see Figure 2), nearly three times the contribution of these activities to total value added. The long-term reduction in the proportion of the total EU workforce employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing continued, as the proportion of total employment fell by 2.0 percentage points during the period 2003–13.

Among the enlargement countries, Kosovo (4.6 %) and Montenegro (4.5 %) recorded employment shares for agriculture, forestry and fishing that were at a similar level to those in the EU-28 — in fact, slightly lower. By contrast, close to one fifth of the workforce was employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing activities in 2013 in most of the other enlargement countries, with this share peaking at 44.6 % in Albania.

Land use

Close to two thirds of Serbia’s area is used for agriculture

The area within each country that is used for farming varies according to climate, terrain and soil type, while the level of economic development and population density may also play a role in determining land use. Within the EU-28 roughly equal proportions of land (around 40 % of the total land area) are used for farming and for forestry, with the remainder being built-up areas (villages, towns and cities), infrastructure (roads or railways), scrub or waste land.

The utilised agricultural area (UAA) refers to the area that is used for agricultural purposes: in the EU-28 this amounted to approximately 180 million hectares in 2013. The combined utilised agricultural area for the enlargement countries was around 48 million hectares, equivalent to just over one quarter of the total for the EU-28. Among the enlargement countries, Turkey had by far the largest utilised agricultural area, some 38 million hectares. However, relative to the size of each country, Serbia recorded the highest proportion of its total area utilised for agricultural purposes, close to two thirds (65.4 %) in 2013 (see Figure 3), ahead of Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia where just under half of the total area was used for agriculture, while in Albania the share was 41.4 %. This proportion was below 40 % in the remaining enlargement countries with the lowest ratio (27.1 %) being recorded for Kosovo.

Between 2003 and 2013, Montenegro and Serbia showed no great change in the proportion of total area used for agriculture, while Turkey as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina reported a gradual decline in the proportion of their total area used for agriculture. While this share fell between 2003 and 2008 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and was stable in Albania, both of these countries reported increases between 2008 and 2013, as did Kosovo.

Agricultural production

Cereals and sugar beet production in enlargement countries was just under one fifth the level in the EU-28

The production of cereals in the EU-28 was 285 million tonnes in 2012, while in 2013 the combined harvest for the enlargement countries (including 2011 data for Montenegro) was around 50 million tonnes, equivalent to just under one fifth (17 %) of the output of the EU-28 (see Table 1). A similar situation could be seen for sugar beet, where the combined production of the enlargement countries (no data available for Montenegro or Kosovo) was also equivalent to just under one fifth (18 %) of the EU-28 total. Crop production levels can fluctuate substantially from year to year as a result of climatic / weather conditions and variations in demand. Nevertheless production of cereals and sugar beet was higher in 2013 than in 2003 in nearly all of the enlargement countries, while in the EU-28 cereals production was higher but the output of sugar beet was lower.

The level of milk production (which may include milk other than cows’ milk) was approximately the same in 2013 (157 million tonnes) in the EU-28 as it had been in 2003 (155 million tonnes). The level of milk output in the enlargement countries was relatively low when compared with production levels in the EU-28; latest information for six of the enlargement countries (no data for Kosovo) shows their combined milk production was equal to approximately 14 % of the production level in the EU-28. Comparing milk production in 2013 with that in 2003 output increased in all but one of the enlargement countries for which data are available; output fell by more than 20 % in Montenegro between 2003 and 2012.

Climatic and cultural / religious particularities in the enlargement countries are reflected in their livestock production and slaughtering

The number of cattle in the EU-28 declined from 92 million in 2003 to 88 million by 2013. Comparing the same years most of the enlargement countries also reported a fall in cattle numbers, the exception being Turkey where the cattle population increased substantially. By 2013 the total number of cattle in the enlargement countries was equivalent to almost one fifth (19 %) of the EU-28 total.

Cultural particularities explain many of the differences in the structure of livestock rearing in the EU and enlargement countries (see Table 2). For example, Turkey is a largely Muslim country and as such many of its citizens abstain from eating pork; the same is true in some of the Balkan countries, for example, in parts of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. Whereas in the EU-28 there were more pigs than cattle, among the enlargement countries this situation was only repeated in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Collectively the number of pigs in enlargement countries was equivalent to just 3 % of the EU-28 total.

Turkey alone reported 38.5 million sheep and goats in 2013 and the combined total for the enlargement countries was 45 million. As such, the number of sheep and goats in enlargement countries was relatively high when compared with the EU-28, where an estimate based on the latest available data suggests that there were approximately 100 million of these animals in 2013. Bearing in mind the different size of the enlargement countries, the number of sheep and goats was particularly high in Albania in 2013, where there were almost as many sheep and goats as there were people.

The livestock figures shown in Table 2 are, unsurprisingly, reflected in the meat production figures in Table 3, notably the relatively low level of pig meat production in some enlargement countries. The quantity of pig meat produced in the EU-28 in 2013 was three times the level of output from cattle. Among the enlargement countries a higher ratio was observed for Serbia where pig meat production was nearly four times as high as the level of meat production from cattle. By contrast, less pig meat was produced than meat from cattle in Albania and Montenegro as well as Turkey where pig meat production was negligible.

Among the four types of meat production shown in Table 3 pig meat was the largest in Serbia (59 % of the total) and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (47 %), whereas the highest share of output was recorded for meat from cattle in Albania (44 %) and Montenegro (64 %), and from poultry meat in Turkey (64 %) as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina (51 %).

Trade in food and live animals

The value of international trade in food and live animals grew at a faster pace in recent years in the enlargement countries than in the EU-28. Note that the values of imports and exports shown in Tables 4 and 5 are presented in current prices. Fluctuating prices for raw and processed food may have a considerable impact on the trade position of a country, while climatic / weather conditions can determine if there is a surplus of food for export or the need for more imports.

The EU-28 consistently ran a trade deficit in food and live animal products over the period 2003–13; note that the trade data presented for the EU-28 in Tables 4 and 5 concern extra-EU trade only. Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina also recorded trade deficits during this 10-year period (in so far as data are available). Whereas the EU-28’s trade deficit for food and live animal products was lower in 2013 than it had been in 2003 the reverse was true for these four enlargement countries, as their deficits widened. By contrast, Albania and Serbia both recorded trade surpluses for food and live animals throughout the period shown.

Collectively (data not available for Kosovo), exports of food and live animals from enlargement countries were valued at EUR 12.8 billion in 2013, equivalent to about 17 % of the EU-28 total, while the value of imports of these goods into the enlargement countries was EUR 8.4 billion, equivalent to just less than 10 % of the EU-28 total.

The highest value of exports of food and live animals in 2013 among the enlargement countries was recorded in Turkey (EUR 10.6 billion), which was more than four fifths of all the food and live animal exports from the enlargement countries. Serbia was the only other enlargement country with such exports valued in excess of EUR 1 billion, while exports of food and live animals from Montenegro and Albania were valued at less than EUR 100 million.

Exports of food and live animals from Bosnia and Herzegovina were nearly eight times as high in 2013 as they had been in 2003. Such exports from Albania more than quadrupled, from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey they more than trebled, and from Serbia (2005 to 2013) and Montenegro (2006 to 2013) they more than doubled. As such, among the enlargement countries the smallest relative increase in exports of food and live animals was recorded by Montenegro, where exports were 140 % higher in 2013 than in 2006, which was nevertheless greater than the equivalent increase for the EU-28 (up 94 % between 2006 and 2013 and up 128 % between 2003 and 2013).

Data sources and availability

Data for the enlargement countries are collected for a wide range of indicators each year through a questionnaire that is sent by Eurostat to partner countries which have either the status of being candidate countries or potential candidates. A network of contacts in each country has been established for updating these questionnaires, generally within the national statistical offices, but potentially including representatives of other data-producing organisations (for example, central banks or government ministries). The statistics shown in this article are made available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a wide range of other socio-economic indicators collected as part of this initiative. The situation for international trade statistics is somewhat different, as more detailed international trade statistics are available from Eurostat’s Comext database or the United Nations’ Comtrade database.

All statistics presented in this article as monetary values in euro terms are based on current price series (unless otherwise stated).

The utilised agricultural area describes the area used for farming. It includes arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops (such as orchards, olive trees and vineyards) and other agricultural land such as kitchen gardens.

Statistics on crop production relate to harvested production. Cereals include wheat (common wheat and spelt and durum wheat), rye, maslin, barley, oats, mixed grain other than maslin, grain maize, sorghum, triticale, and other cereal crops such as buckwheat, millet, canary seed and rice. Meat production is based on the activity of slaughterhouses regarding meat fit for human consumption.

Context

Agriculture was one of the first sectors of the economy (following coal and steel) to receive the attention of EU policymakers, and statistics on agriculture were initially designed to monitor the main objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP). While the CAP remains one of the EU’s most important policies there has been a widespread evaluation, which has led to a range of new objectives designed to correct imbalances and overproduction.

In December 2013, the latest reform of the CAP was formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. The main elements of the CAP post-2013 concern: a fairer distribution of direct payments (with targeted support and convergence goals); strengthening the position of farmers within the food production chain (such as through: the promotion of professional and inter-professional organisations; changes to the organisation of the sugar and wine sectors; revisions to public intervention and private storage aid; and new crisis management tools); and continued support for rural development, safeguarding the environment and biodiversity.

While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to increase progressively the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU accession process. Indeed, reliable and comparable statistics are a precondition for joining the EU: the EU acquis in the field of statistics requires the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as impartiality, reliability, transparency, confidentiality of individual data and dissemination of official statistics; it covers methodology, classifications and procedures for data collection.

Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that the national statistical systems of the enlargement countries comply with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as training courses, traineeships, study visits, management training, and participation in meetings within the European statistical system (ESS). The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.

Additional information on international statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided here.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Key figures on the enlargement countries — 2014 edition
Key figures on the enlargement countries — 2013 edition
Enlargement countries — Agriculture — 2012 edition

Main tables

Enlargement countries, see:

Candidate countries and potential candidates (t_cpc)

Database

Enlargement_countries, see:

Candidate countries and potential candidates (cpc)

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries (cpc_ag)

External links

Notes

↑ Accession negotiations started in July 2010 and were put on hold by the Icelandic government in May 2013. Iceland is therefore not included in this article.

[1] Accession negotiations started in July 2010 and were put on hold by the Icelandic government in May 2013. Iceland is therefore not included in this article.

[1]