The number of farms in the A.C. of the Basque Country remained virtually unchanged between 2005 and 2007, going from 21,730 to 21,695 farms (-0.2%), according to Eustat data. However, both agricultural area and utilised agricultural land (cultivated land and land for permanent grazing) increased by 1.2% and 1.3% respectively. As a result, the percentage represented by utilised agricultural land out of the total (55.5%) remained steady.

The average size of total surface area and of utilised agricultural land (UAA) of the farms of the A.C. of the Basque Country was 20.2 hectares and 11.2 hectares respectively, although with considerable differences between Álava (45.6 ha and 31.0 ha.) and the other two provinces, Gipuzkoa (17.1 ha. and 7.7 ha.) and Bizkaia (12.6 ha. and 6.0 ha.).

Table 1. Agricultural surface area classified by type of use and province. Year 2007

Source: EUSTAT

An increase was seen in the concentration of livestock in livestock farms

The number of livestock farms in the A.C. of the Basque Country decreased in 2007 for all types of livestock. The most significant decreases were seen in farms for cattle (-7%), equines (-7%), poultry (-10%) and rabbits (-15%), with a notable decrease in the number of professional bee-keeping farms. By province, however, the situation was varied. In Álava there was increase in the number of poultry and swine farms, as there was in Bizkaia for those of swine and in Gipuzkoa for those of bee-keeping, goats and rabbits.

However, the number of heads of livestock on these farms increased for cattle (1.2%), goats (1.5%), equines (4.6%) and rabbits (9.0%), and decreased for swine (-9.9%), poultry (-7.9%) and sheep (-0.8%).

As a result of the evolution of the number of farms and the number of heads of livestock, there was an increase in numbers per farm in cattle, goat, equine, poultry, rabbit and bee-keeping farms.

Table 2. Livestock. Type of livestock and units. 2007

Source: EUSTAT

Methodology note: The data refers to the agricultural period running from 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007, the agricultural year 2007. The population refers to agricultural farms with at least: 1 ha of Utilised agricultural land (UAA), 0.2 ha. of intensive crops, 1 Large Livestock Unit (LLU) or 0.75 European Size Units (ESU) of Total Gross Margin. This survey was conducted in collaboration with the National Statistics Institute (INE) in the A.C. of the Basque Country.