Austria’s agriculture and forestry are not just
the backbone of a rural area worth living in; they also reflect our
country’s cultural tradition. Characterised by essentially small-scale
structures, much-prized natural and cultural landscapes with a rich flora
and fauna, and almost inexhaustible resources of water, they play a
significant and essential role within Austria’s economy as a whole.
While the topicality of statistical data must keep
step with the demands of the economy and society on the one hand, it
must also do justice to the multifunctional role of agriculture and
forestry in the choice of parameters surveyed. The official statistics
for agriculture, forestry and fishing are based almost entirely on a
statutory framework and integrated into the EU’s system of statistics.
Surveys of
the structure
of agricultural holdings,
soil protection
and harvests,
livestock and
animal production,
supply and use
of agricultural production (supply balance), and
agricultural
and forestry producer prices
provide the basis for calculating the overall agricultural
and forestry accounts. The data also serves to map out structural changes
in this economic sector. All this information constitutes an important
foundation for economic and political decisions, not only at the national
level but also at the European and international levels, a foundation
which contributes towards future decision-making aimed at drawing up
measures as well as assessing future developments and related agricultural
expenditure.