07/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - Rural development, 70% of farms below 5 hectares. The number of farms decreased by 12% in the EU between 2007 and 2010, while the average surface area of farms increased from 12.7 hectares to 14.3 hectares, according to the 2013 statistical report on rural development published by the European Commission in December. Nearly 70% of farms have an agricultural surface area of under 5 hectares. Over the same period, full-time employment in the sector dropped by...