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IPS 208 Johan S. et al.
as to reduce the number of holdings from which data are collected. So the IFS
thresholds are flexible and can even be raised above the ones set in the
previous regulation if the 98% coverage requirement is met (R1).
Under the IFS, if countries cannot achieve the required 98% coverage when
applying the thresholds, they should extend the frame to include a sample of
small farms that fall below these thresholds (see Figure 1); this sample should
collect only core variables (not all variables, as was the case under the previous
FSS regulation) (R2). The frame will be extended to include small farms in 2020
only (not in 2023 and 2026). This contrasts with the previous regulation, which
required small farms to be surveyed in each reference year (R3). In addition,
the frame extension can be applied to a sample in 2020, whereas a full census
was required in 2010, under the previous regulation (R4). The smallest farms
are surveyed only once a decade because they produce mainly for themselves;
it is assumed that they are fairly homogeneous and change relatively little over
time. Their importance lies mainly in the social dimensions of agriculture and
rural areas. This change will be beneficial to countries with many small farms,
such as Bulgaria and Romania. It represents a departure from the previous
system, under which all farms were included in the populations covered by the
former censuses and sample data collections.
Under the IFS, modules are generally collected on holdings above given
physical thresholds (main frame, see Figure 1). However, the relevant
population is further reduced for particular modules (R5). In 2020 and 2026,
for example, the ‘Animal housing and manure management’ module will only
be collected from farms with livestock, which account for between 20% and
80% of all farms, depending on the EU country concerned.
ii. Source agnosticism
EU national authorities can use a variety of methods and sources to collect
data, provided that they meet the necessary quality requirements. These
methods and sources are:
S1: statistical surveys: census (a) or sample (b),
S2: administrative data sources, or
S3: other methods and innovative approaches.
For the census year, the IFS regulation allows samples to a greater extent
than the previous regulation. While most variables were collected by census
in 2010, the IFS regulation states that a sample-based approach can be used
for all modules' variables in 2020 (R6). Censuses and sample data collections
can be implemented through surveys (S1a and S1b), by making use of
administrative registers (S2), or through other approaches (S3).
Administrative sources (S2) based on EU regulations and where a certain
control is implemented can be used without any justification. The previous
regulation explicitly mentioned fewer such administrative sources and
required prior information on the methods and the quality of the data from

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