Agriculture and forestry

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.