In 2010 there were just over 12 million agricultural holdings and an utilised agricultural area (UAA) of 170 million hectares in the EU27. Compared with 2003, the number of holdings decreased by 20% and the utilised agricultural area by 2%, showing a tendency towards larger holdings. The average size of a holding was 14 hectares in the EU27 in 2010, compared with 12 ha per holding in 2003.

This information comes from preliminary results of the Agricultural census 2010 published for the first time at this early stage by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The census is carried out in the EU Member States as well as the EFTA countries every ten years. Between 2000 and 2010, intermediate surveys were carried out every two to three years. The Agricultural census gathers data on the structure of agricultural activities, covering mainly the number and size of farms, the type of crops grown, the number and types of livestock, and the labour force involved.

Seven Member States account for more than 80% of agricultural holdings in the EU27

Romania (3.9 million holdings or 32.0% of the EU27 total) had the largest number of holdings in the EU27 in 2010, followed by Italy (1.6 million, 13.5%), Poland (1.5 million, 12.5%), Spain (1.0 million in 2009, 8.2%), Greece (0.7 million, 5.9%), Hungary (0.6 million, 4.8%) and France (0.5 million, 4.3%). These seven Member States accounted for more than 80% of the number of agricultural holdings in the EU27 in 2010.

The number of agricultural holdings decreased between 2003 and 2010 in all Member States, except Malta and Sweden. The largest decreases were observed in Estonia (-46.6%), Bulgaria (-44.2%), Latvia (-34.4%) and Poland (-30.7%).

Seven Member States account for almost 75% of utilised agricultural area in the EU27

Considering the utilised agricultural area, France (27.1 million ha or 15.9% of the total UAA of the EU27) had the largest area, followed by Spain (23.8 million ha in 2009, 14.0%), Germany (16.7 million ha, 9.8%), the United Kingdom (15.9 million ha, 9.4%), Poland (14.4 million ha, 8.5%), Romania (13.3 million ha, 7.8%) and Italy (12.9 million ha, 7.6%). These seven Member States accounted for almost three quarters of the utilised agricultural area in the EU27 in 2010.

The utilised agricultural area decreased in eighteen Member States between 2003 and 2010 and increased in nine. Cyprus (-24.3%), Slovakia (-9.4% between 2003 and 2007) and Austria (-8.0%) recorded the largest decreases, and Bulgaria (+24.7%), Latvia (+19.9%) and Estonia (+18.0%) the highest increases.

In 2010, the largest holdings on average were found in the Czech Republic (152 hectares per holding), the United Kingdom (79 ha), Denmark (65 ha), Luxembourg (59 ha), Germany (56 ha) and France (53 ha), and the smallest in Malta (1 ha), Cyprus and Romania (both 3 ha), Greece and Slovenia (both 6 ha).