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Farm structure survey

As of 1 April 2023, a Farm Structure Survey (FSS) will be carried out throughout Austria as a sample survey with an integrated survey on commercial fruit plantations. About 35 000 agricultural and forestry holdings that meet at least one of the survey thresholds listed below were selected. All farms with orchards (commercial fruit growing) are included in the sample.

At the end of March, the participating farms receive a letter from Statistics Austria with information on the survey and personal access data. The survey is carried out online using an electronic questionnaire (eQuest web questionnaire).

The following legal bases apply:

The data collected are subject to data protection by the Data Protection Act (Federal Law Gazette I No. 165/1999 as amended – available in German language only) and to statistical secrecy per § 17 (3) of the Federal Statistics Act 2000. Comprehensive data protection information on this survey can be found on our data protection sheet (available in German language only).

Under Section 9 of the Federal Statistics Act 2000, as amended, you are obliged to provide information. If you fail to comply with your reporting obligation, the district administrative authority will punish this administrative offence.

If no survey criteria apply to the business, an empty declaration must be submitted.

In the event of a sale, transfer or overall leasing, it is obligatory to participate in determining the new information provided. No empty declaration must be submitted if the entire holding has been transferred (e.g. to a son or daughter) and continues to be farmed under the same LFBIS holding number. The new farmer (e.g. son or daughter) must complete the questionnaire.

The survey includes units that reach one of the thresholds or a minimum acreage (available in German language only):

If the farm meets at least one of the criteria listed, all survey characteristics applicable to the farm must be indicated.

The survey deadline is 1 April 2023. The reference periods to be applied can be found in the "Explanations of contents" in the respective topic area.

Direct applicants must complete the questionnaire electronically by 15 May 2023. Farms with area-based applications 2023 can complete the reporting by appointment until 30 June 2023, with the support of the Chambers of Agriculture at the district level. Farms without area-based applications that use a telephone interview must have completed it by mid-July 2023 after making an appointment. If no telephone interview has occurred by then, the free hotline at +43 (0) 800 799 766 must be contacted.

Farms without area-based applications:

These farms can enter the questionnaire immediately.

Farms with already submitted area-based applications 2023:

If you have already submitted your area-based applications 2023 and defined the relevant type of field usage for all fields, wait for the data transfer. Afterwards, you only have to add the data not recorded in the area-based applications or change positions that do not correspond to the definition of the FSS.

Farms that have not yet submitted the area-based applications 2023:

If you want to view/pre-fill your questionnaire in advance, press the "Open questionnaire without area-based applications area data" button. It is recommended not to complete the pages "Arable land", "Land use", "Land management" and (if applicable) "Organic farming" yet.

Holdings with orchards:

The questionnaires of known commercial fruit plantations are shown in the Statistics Austria Portal. We recommend that you first fill in the questionnaire for the FSS and afterwards for the orchard survey.

If your orchard is unknown to us, an orchard questionnaire will be created based on the data from the FSS questionnaire.

Further help (available in German language only):

The questionnaire can be filled out online with the application eQuest Web; no download is necessary. The required access data was sent to you by mail. The password has to be changed.

Questionnaire

Specific checks are carried out as soon as the data is entered, and implausible entries are indicated using note and error messages.

The completion work can be interrupted at any time and continued at a later point in time. Save the entered data regularly to prevent data loss.

Only after clicking the "Report questionnaire" button and receiving the reporting confirmation is the questionnaire considered submitted for the Statistics Austria system.

Alternative reporting options for farms with/without area-based applications:

  • Farms with area-based applications can enlist the help of the responsible chamber of agriculture at the district level. Take your access data, including the activation code, to the appointment.
  • Farms without area-based applications can disclose the information using telephone interviews. To do so, contact our hotline and arrange an interview appointment.

Farm Structure Survey Team The free hotline is available on weekdays from 8:00 to 16:00.
Phone: +43 (0) 800 799 766 Fax: +43 1 711 28-8155 agrarstrukturerhebung@statistik.gv.at Please have your LFBIS holding number ready and provide us with your name, address and telephone number in the case of written inquiries.
Commercial Fruit Plantation Survey Team The free hotline is available on weekdays from 8:00 to 16:00.
Phone: +43 (0) 800 799 766 Fax: +43 1 711 28-8155 obst@statistik.gv.at Please have your LFBIS holding number ready and provide us with your name, address and telephone number in the case of written inquiries.
Last updated on 2023-04-28.
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