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
Final estimates from the 2012-13 Rural Environment and Agricultural Commodities Survey (REACS) will be presented in five publications:
Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0), presents statistics from the 2012-13 REACS and agricultural collections for previous years (including the 2010-11 Agricultural Census and the 2011-12 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS)). It contains detailed statistics on crops, livestock and industry of agricultural businesses. The publication presents data on a national, state and territory basis. Sub-state level data, including Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Statistical Area 4 (SA4) levels and Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions, will be released in data cubes attached to the publication on the ABS website.
Water use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0), presents statistics from the 2012-13 REACS and agricultural collections for previous years (including the 2011-12 ARMS). It contains detailed statistics on agricultural water use and sources of water, including details of pastures and crops irrigated and volume of water applied. The publication presents data on a national, state and territory basis and also provides selected data on the Murray-Darling Basin region. Sub-state level data, including ASGS SA4 and NRM levels will be released in data cubes attached to the publication on the ABS website.
Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia (cat. no. 7503.0), presents value of production statistics derived from the 2012-13 REACS and agricultural collections for previous years (including the 2011-12 ARMS). It contains detailed statistics on the gross and local values of crops, livestock slaughterings and disposals and livestock products. The publication presents data on a national, state and territory basis. Sub-state level data, including ASGS SA4 and NRM levels will be released in data cubes attached to the publication on the ABS website.
Land Management and Farming in Australia (cat. no. 4627.0), presents statistics from the 2012-13 REACS. The publication contains detailed statistics on a variety of management practices undertaken by Australian agricultural businesses, including cropping and pasture management, fertiliser use, protection of the natural environment for conservation purposes and farm management. The publication presents data on a national, state and territory basis. Sub-state data at the NRM level will be released in data cubes attached to the publication on the ABS website.
Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production (cat. no. 4610.0.55.008), presents the gross value of agricultural commodities that are produced with the assistance of irrigation. The publication will present data on a national, state and territory basis and will also provide selected data on the Murray-Darling Basin region.
TIMELINESS
Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0), Water use on Australian Farms (cat. no. 4618.0), Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia (cat. no. 7503.0) and Land Management and Farming in Australia (cat. no. 4627.0) will be published within 12 months of the end of the reference period. Data at sub-state geographies will be released at a later date as separate comma separated value (.csv) data cubes that can be opened in a variety of packages, including Excel. Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production (cat. no. 4610.0.55.008) will be published in October 2014.
Preliminary data presenting principal crops and livestock numbers and gross values of production for principal agricultural commodities for the 2012-13 reference period were released in the publications Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7111.0) and Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 7501.0), respectively in November 2013.
ACCURACY
Data from the 2012-13 REACS are based on a response rate of 83% and have been extensively quality assured. The resultant estimates have been checked against earlier years' estimates and relevant other sources, including contact with data providers and industry bodies, to ensure their accuracy. All estimates are subject to sampling errors.
COHERENCE
The 2012-13 REACS was conducted using a frame based on the Australian Business Register (ABR). This is the same frame used initially for the 2005-06 Agricultural Census, for subsequent annual agricultural surveys and the 2010-11 Agricultural Census. The estimates are directly comparable across these collection periods, however it is recommended that care be taken when comparing estimates from these collection cycles to earlier years, i.e. prior to 2005-06. Detailed explanatory and technical notes relating to this change in frame were included in the 2005-06 PDF release of Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).
INTERPRETABILITY
The annual agricultural collections and five-yearly Agricultural Censuses provide a broad range of data about Australian agricultural commodities, agricultural water use and irrigation activity and land and resource management practices through a suite of standard products or as data customised for individual requirements. Time series data are available for some estimates that were collected through previous Agricultural Surveys/Censuses, including the 2010-11 Agricultural Census. Detailed explanatory notes are provided with each publication to assist users in determining and specifying their data requirements and to understand the concepts underlying the data.
ACCESSIBILITY
An extensive range of data is 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.
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