Rekenregels pluimvee voor de Landbouwtelling: verantwoording van het gebruik van het Identificatie- & Registratiesysteem

Summary

Information on poultry farming in the Netherlands is needed for national statistics on livestock farming and farm structure. To obtain this information the national government asks farmers to submit information on the number of poultry on their farms, divided into the various animal classes, as part of the annual agricultural census. The government also wants to minimise the administrative burden on farmers. At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Wageningen Environmental Research has studied to what extent it would possible to derive the required information from the existing identification and registration system (I&R) for poultry (a system for identifying and registering livestock for animal and human health purposes). The results of the study indicate that, in principle, this can be done; the I&R system for poultry farming contains a more detailed breakdown into animal classes than is necessary for the agricultural census or emissions inventory. In addition, stocking densities per livestock shed, a key input for calculating emissions, can be determined by linking the I&R for poultry farming to the Register of Addresses and Buildings. This new way of working will not only reduce the administrative burden, but it will also lead to better quality of data on poultry.