. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/384
22 September 2000
(00-3801)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE NETHERLANDS
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:   National Enquiry Point – EC WTO TBT Enquiry Point
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Test methods for low-
drift nozzles for the application of plant protection products in open fields.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Regulation on Test
Methods for Low-Drift Nozzles in the Decree on Open Cultivation and Livestock Farming.
6. Description of content:   The regulation is based on the Decree on open cultivation and
livestock farming which is intended to prevent and reduce pollution of surface water by
emissions of, amongst other things, plant protection products, as a consequence ofagricultural activities in open cultivation and livestock farming.  The Decree prescribes the
use of low-drift nozzles under specific circumstances.  On the basis of article 15, paragraph
8 of the Decree, the Minister for Transport and Waterways and the Minister for Agriculture,
Nature Conservation and Fisheries can designate test methods by means of which it can be
determined whether spray nozzles can be regarded as low-drift nozzles.  The test methods of
spray nozzles in question ascertain the percentage by volume of drips smaller than 100 µm
from spray nozzles, which can be regarded as low-drift nozzles for a particular spraypressure.  This regulation serves to implement this provision.
The regulation contains a mutual recognition clause on the basis of which at least the
equivalent test methods developed in othe r Member States of the European Union or
countries which are party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area can be placed
on a par with the test methods described in the regulation.
The Decree on open cultivation and livestock farming was notified to the Commission of
the European Community in the autumn of 1999 in compliance with article 8, second
paragraph of Directive 98/34/EEC. In the framework of a so-called TBT notification, a
notification has also been made to the Secretariat of the World Trade Organisation infulfilment of article 2, paragraph 9 of the Agreement on technical barriers to trade.
There are no connections with any other regulations submitted for notification.G/TBT/Notif.00/384
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Designation of test methods for low-drift nozzles is necessary to guarantee a uniform
qualitative use of these sprays.  This is necessary to reduce the pollution of surface water
which can arise as a consequence of the application of plant protection products in openfields.  As far as the draft contains quantitative import restrictions or measures of equal
effect in the sense of article 30 of the EC Treaty, these measures are justified in the interest
of protecting surface water.
8. Relevant documents:
- Act on the pollution of surface water, articles 1, and 2a, 2b, 2c, second paragraph
(Stb. 1969, 536)
- Pesticides Act 1962, Article 13 (Stb. 1962, 288)
- Decree on open cultivation and livestock farming (Stb. 2000, 43)
- Draft regulation on test methods of low-drift nozzles in the Decree on open 
cultivation and livestock farming.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  12 November 2000
Proposed date of entry into force:  15 November 2000
10. Final date for comments:   1 November 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body: