EU stakeholders call for streamlined farm data systems, emphasizing interoperability and reduced reporting burden while maintaining statistical quality. Discussions highlight growing importance of digital tools and farm machinery data in shaping future agricultural insights.

A high-level dialogue in Brussels hosted by Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner responsible for economy, productivity, and regulatory, on 24 March 2026 brought together farmers, agribusinesses and statistical authorities to address the future of agricultural data collection across the EU.

Participants focused on simplifying reporting requirements while preserving the reliability of official farm statistics. A central theme was improving data interoperability to enable the re-use of existing datasets, reducing duplication and administrative burden for producers. The principle of “collect once, use multiple times” was widely supported, alongside calls for clearer definitions and better communication of data requirements.

The discussion also pointed to expanding the scope of data sources, including farm machinery and digital technologies, reflecting the sector’s ongoing digitalization. Stakeholders stressed that integrating such data could improve both the timeliness and relevance of agricultural insights.

Proposals included the use of unique farm identifiers to link administrative datasets and support seamless data flows across national and EU systems. This approach is expected to enhance statistical accuracy while providing more tailored insights for farmers and agribusinesses.

Eurostat will take the outcomes into account when shaping the future EU framework for farm statistics.

The dialogue builds on Regulation (EU) 2018/1091, which underpinned the 2020 agricultural census and ongoing farm surveys, forming the backbone of EU-wide agricultural data collection.