The European Union contains 8.8 million agricultural holdings.

Omissions

• The 8.8 million figure refers to the reference year 2023 (Eurostat Farm Structure Survey), not to 2026; no more recent EU-wide farm structure data existed at the session date.
• The number of EU agricultural holdings has been falling steadily: 12.0 million in 2010, 9.1 million in 2020 and 8.8 million in 2023, so the true number at the time of the speech (October 2026) is likely somewhat lower than 8.8 million.
• The claim omits that 2.9 million of the 8.8 million holdings (about a third) are in Romania and that 62.8% of EU holdings are smaller than 5 hectares, relevant context for any comparison with CAP budget figures.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained – Farms and farmland in the European UnionIn 2023, there were 8.8 million agricultural holdings in the EU, of which 2.9 million holdings (the equivalent of 32.6%) were in Romania.
• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained – Farm tenureThere were 8.8 million agricultural holdings (hereafter named 'farms') in the EU in 2023 (ef_fsi_farms).
• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained – Agriculture statistics: family farming in the EUThere were 8.8 million farms in the EU in 2023, the vast majority of which (an estimated 91%) can be classified as family farms.