1. Recommendations on survey implementation
Joint workshop on Pesticides Statistics Vilnius 2-3 April 2007
Recommendations on survey implementation
Andrea Fais

2. Index of the presentation
General objectives
The specific objectives in the BCs The surveys approach
The data requirements
The sample definition
The questionnaire definition
Discussion

3. Project Objectives

4. Institutional Arrangements

5. Objectives
The consolidation of the administrative networks put in place in Bulgaria and Romania in 2005 for the organisation of pilot surveys on usage of plant protection products
The creation of this network for Croatia and Turkey as well as the improvement of the methodology adopted

6. Objectives The BCs are divided in two groups
Romania and Bulgaria have already developed a pilot project on plant protection products responding to the EU harmonisation process, and the main objectives are the consolidation of the administrative networks and the improvement of the methodology adopted for the pilot surveys
For Croatia and Turkey, the main objective is the creation of such an administrative network.
The BCs institutions involved in this project are the National Statistical Offices and the National Institutes for Plant Protection.

7. Objectives the contractor will assist the BCs with :
the collection and definition of specific guidelines for the application of Eurostat data collection manual in each BC, with particular attention to the sampling and stratification design implementation and practical real cases of pesticides usage data collection
Training and supervision of pilot projects during workshops and expert missions
An helpdesk with the experts to support BCs upon request, and a FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) open space on CIRCA

8. Objectives For Croatia and Turkey the aims will also be:
to clarify the distribution of responsibilities concerning pesticides usage statistics, and to identify the needs for improvement;
to support the definition of an administrative structure;
to design the sampling plan, according to the availability of a farm register list or register;
the development of pilot surveys on the use of plant protection products on wheat, potatoes and 3 other crops to be selected from field vegetables, crops under glass and bush fruit.

9. Objectives For Bulgaria and Romania
definition of the stratification and sample design, and the sample unit identification;
definition of the statistical errors analysis and the expected precision of the final results will be also taken into account;
possible links with other statistical surveys and data set, such as FADN sample and LPIS-Farm Register system, in order to define a farm sample parcel identification system
Definition of error analysis, representativeness level, the quality and quantity of data

10. Pesticide Indicators

12. Surveys Approach - Methods of collection
Methods of collection already in use within the European Union, requiring differing levels of input and organisation: resources and requirements:
1. Personal visits to a representative sample of farmers and growers to collect information on what they have used (Information is collected on the pesticides applied to specific crops over the previous growing season or year from a statistically derived, representative sample of farmers and growers)

13. Surveys Approach - Methods of collection
2. Telephone interviews with a representative sample of farmers and growers (reduce the cost of survey: similar in structure to personal interviews, but avoiding the time and cost of travel)
Postal surveys of a representative sample of farmers and growers; Compulsory returns of pesticide use from all farmers and growers; Alternatives to surveys of usage - collation of sales statistics
Farmers more conscientious or carrying out “good farming practice, or in confidence relationship with the national statistics institutions/enumerators

14. Surveys Approach Personal visits to a representative sample of farms
good accuracy, but with trained personnel: the surveyor can go through all the potential uses, ensuring that the grower does not omit or forget anything important (many growers consider pesticides only insecticides)
it allows all the relevant crops to be surveyed on a single farm without over-complicating the survey
well-structured form
farmers forewarned of the visit to assemble information

15. Surveys Approach Telephone interviews
Not over-complicated, not attempting to cover all the cropping per farm and call (covering only the largest field of each crop)
An informative letter, giving some indication of the structure the interview should precede calls
Trained personnel using a structured questionnaire
The differences in results between personal visits and telephone interviews statistically of different importance, on the basis of the training/skill level of the interviews (information required not over complex), and the socio-economic/cultural/confidence with surveyors/Institutions level of the rural population in each country

17. Crops to be surveyed
all agricultural and horticultural sectors should be surveyed, it is more often in the minor sectors or uses where problems may occur, but it’s too expensive for some countries
crops should be selected on the basis of the majority of pesticide use within each country: those grown most plus and those receiving the most treatments, by area treated, weight applied and rate of application
also the level of risk (environmental and food safety) per pesticide and crop should be taken into account

20. Frequency of surveys
surveys should ideally be undertaken annually, but it is currently unrealistic to expect annual surveys of all crops in all countries
if annual surveys are not possible, important crops should be surveyed at least biennially; an annual programme should be followed for those crops where usage is most important
where surveys are not undertaken annually: differences in weather patterns between years may have a greater effect on usage
until a sequence of surveys have been undertaken it would be unwise to explain changes between two surveys as the result of any simple factor

21. Data requirements (1)
There are a minimum number of parameters that need to be collected in order to make any survey effective:
the crop and its area grown (national estimates of usage):
a record of crop with pesticide applications (winter or spring/summer crop);
developmental stages of a crop (avoid “double counting”: e.g. multiple cropping);

22. Data requirements (2)
the product and rate of application or amount used and the area treated:
establish the active substance(s), and also their formulation. Different formulations of the same pesticide may have different impacts;
growers may only know the product name, rarely the active substance(s)
care must be taken with prefixes and suffixes to product names, which often indicate very different constituents with small changes in name
Seed treatments information from the merchant or supplier

23. Data requirements (3)
rate of application or amount used (litres or kilograms of product per he):
the rate of application is crucial to estimating the total amount of pesticide used
the total amount used and the area treated to derive the rate of application
when the grower is unsure of the rate: recording the actual amount used and the area treated for later calculation of rate. Acceptable: to record the grower’s known level of application, e.g. “½ or ¾ label recommended rate” (calculation of a rate from a knowledge of the pesticide’s own label recommendations)

24. Data requirements (4) area treated:
per each pesticide application: this may not necessarily be the same as the area of crop grown (part-field treatments for specific localised weed or pest problem; preventing application within a certain distance of a watercourse, hedge etc,)
biological control methods: include preparations of fungal, viral and bacterial agents, and natural predators and parasites. Area of crop “treated” for each introduction (number of treatments), should be collected as if they were pesticide applications
•timing (date of application): perhaps the least essential, but surely useful to many aspects of analysis. It will allow the quantify the number of sprays and to separate sprays applied on separate occasions from those applied together

25. Sample Selection
Knowledge of the true population (Census or farm structure survey)
Regional differences in climate, pest and disease pressure, farming intensity and general farm practice: significant regional differences in pesticide use even on the same crop. Thus, sampling should initially be stratified by region (FADN)
soil types vary regionally which may particularly influence pesticide use
country divided into areas of similar agro-environmental characteristics

26. Sample Selection The sampling unit may be:
a farm (and all its crops, or the largest field of each crop); the size influence the degree of pesticide use, samples stratified by farm size group within region
larger farms (trained personnel): reduced rates when pest pressure is low, aware of newer products or methods of pest control
Farm size group on the basis of Type of farming and ESU
a single crop on a farm (entire area of crop); farms should be selected at random within any regional stratification for each crop to be surveyed
a field of a particular crop: a random sample of fields should be selected, within any regional stratification
a field: the fields should be selected at random, within any regional stratification

27. Survey period
The survey period should all pesticide applications on the basis of the crop grown (survey year is always considered to be the year in which the harvest was taken)
In the winter crops pre-drilling treatments and post-harvest treatments to control weeds: not to omit both or include both
For short-term (horticulture), the optimum period may be influenced by the seasonality of other crops within the same survey
Perennial crops: a period commencing after the end of harvest in one year through to the end of harvest in the following year.

28. Other information
Variety
N° of treatments
Target species, pest or weed(s), disease or range of diseases
Crop rotation
Sowing date & harvest date

34. Recommendations
Trained and skilled surveyors body
Plant Protection Institutes involvement
Questionnaire as simple as possible
Confidence and continuous relationship with the farmers sampled
Links with FADN and IACS-LPIS data banks
Do not assume: sales = usages