QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.
RELEVANCE
The value estimates in this publication are derived by the multiplication of price and quantity of agricultural commodities. Price data refer to the average unit value of a given commodity realised in the marketplace. Price information is obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collections, as well as from non-ABS sources, including marketing authorities and industry sources.
Quantity data for crops and egg production have been collected via the 2013 Rural Environment and Agricultural Commodities Survey, the 2011-12 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and the 2010-11 Agricultural Census. Remaining commodity data are obtained from other ABS collections, with some information from external sources. The data are collected on a state basis and then aggregated to derive Australian totals.
TIMELINESS
Value of agricultural commodities produced (VACP) preliminary data are generally published within 5 months of the reference period, and at the same time as the preliminary agricultural production data in Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7111.0).
ACCURACY
The accuracy of price data is ensured by the collection of price data from the best known sources. Where a statutory authority handles marketing of the whole or a portion of a product, data are usually obtained from this source. Information is also obtained from marketing reports, wholesalers, brokers and auctioneers. Production data are obtained from a range of high-quality sources, including ABS agricultural commodity collections and industry bodies. Extensive editing of production and prices data and checking of resultant value estimates against earlier years and relevant other sources are used to ensure the accuracy of the estimates produced.
COHERENCE
Most data are directly comparable over different collection cycles and all data contained within this issue are comparable across the periods reported. However, 'Total crops' estimates and 'Total value of preliminary agriculture' estimates are not directly comparable to all previous issues due to a change in the estimation process which includes only principal crops in preliminary estimates.
INTERPRETABILITY
The VACP series provides a broad range of data about the value of agricultural commodities produced in Australia through a suite of standard products or as data customised for individual requirements. Detailed explanatory notes are provided in Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia (cat. no. 7501.0) to assist users in determining and specifying their data requirements and to understand the concepts underlying the data.
ACCESSIBILITY
An extensive range of data are available from a variety of agriculture based collections on the ABS website <www.abs.gov.au>.
If the information you require is not available as a standard product or service, the ABS Consultancy Services can assist with customised services to suit your requirements. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.
Quality Declaration 
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