The introduction of the European System of Accounts (ESA95) required the compilation of the Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA) according to the specifications of the EUROSTAT manual.
Objective
The aim of the project is to provide or estimate data on agricultural payments and taxes in agriculture in the required form and to forecast unpaid labour input in agriculture in annual work units (AWU).
In addition, new tasks in connection with the EAA, such as the calculation of producer shares, the economic resilience of the agricultural sector, the informal economy and the shadow economy, are repeatedly considered as part of this project.
Status of the project
Agricultural payments and taxes: For the federal and provincial EAA, agricultural payments and taxes are estimated annually in November for the current year and updated in March and June of the following year with data from Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA) and the Green Report. These calculations must be submitted to Statistics Austria for use in the EAA.
Unpaid labour input in agriculture: The unpaid labour input in agriculture in AWU must be forecast annually until the results on AWU are available, which are determined by Statistics Austria on the basis of the results of the most recent agricultural structure survey. Econometric models were developed for this purpose, which are continuously reviewed and further developed. Once the results of the 2010 agricultural structure survey were available, the econometric estimates for the forecast of AWU were placed on a new basis in 2013 (forecast of AWU in agriculture instead of a forecast of AWU in agriculture and forestry). In 2015, 2018 and 2022, it was possible for the first time to include results on the AWU, which were determined by Statistics Austria on the basis of the 2013, 2016 and 2020 agricultural structure surveys, in the estimates. The estimates are carried out several times a year. The results of the AWU are used by Statistics Austria, for example, to determine the factor income in agriculture per annual labour unit and its development over time. In 2024, the econometric models were converted from the EViews software to the R software.
Share of agriculture (producer share): Most agricultural products are not delivered directly from the farmer to the consumer. Instead, their value is increased through transport and storage services as well as treatment and processing. The changes that raw agricultural products undergo in terms of time, place and form are accompanied by costs. These costs are compensated in the form of margins that correspond to the services rendered. Food expenditure therefore includes two components: (i) the payment for agricultural products ‘ex farm’ (agricultural share or producer share) and (ii) the payment for the processing and trading of products on their way from farm to fork (sectoral market margin). Discussions between agriculture and the downstream processing and trade stages ultimately centre on the distribution of the consumption euro or food expenditure. Data on the development of producer shares is not collected statistically. They must be calculated from available data. Such calculations must be carried out on an ongoing basis.
Economic resilience of the agricultural sector: Ensuring sustainable and economically viable agriculture requires economic resilience (or economic resilience) before, during and after a shock. Little is known about the economic resilience of Austrian agriculture since EU accession. However, methods for recording changes in economic resilience have so far only been used to a limited extent in agriculture. An index for analysing and measuring economic resilience is based on four areas: financial flexibility, stability in pursuing the development path, diversification of activities and diversification of export markets. The results show a very high economic resilience of 0.83 to 0.92 and thus a high shock absorption capacity. In general, these results indicate that Austrian agriculture is very economically resilient. Further dimensions, e.g. social or ecological, can be added to such an index, but a comparison with other countries is also possible.
Informal economy: A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes Model (MIMIC) was used to estimate the size of the informal economy in agriculture for the first time. These calculations were carried out for the agricultural sectors of the 15 ‘old’ EU Member States for the period 1996-2019. The results document the higher share of the informal economy in agriculture compared to the overall economy. Agricultural payments and agricultural organisation are two important factors that determine the development of higher shares of the informal economy in agriculture. Taxation, the import share and factor income in agriculture also have a considerable influence on the size of the informal economy in agriculture. This model can be applied to other issues and countries, e.g. EU 27.
Work 2025
The ongoing calculations and forecasts for the EAA (agricultural payments and taxes, non-remunerated labour input in agriculture in AWU) and the calculation of the agricultural share (producer share) are being carried out. A review and revision of the database and further development of the models is planned with regard to the estimation of non-remunerated labour input in agriculture. It is also planned that results on the AWU, which will be determined by Statis-tik Austria on the basis of the 2023 agricultural structure survey, will be taken into account in the estimates.
If necessary, further calculations will be carried out on relevant topics in the agricultural sector.
