./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.98.508
20 October 1998
(98-4072)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  BELGIUM
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of Small Firms and Traders and Agriculture
DG4
WTC 3 – Boulevard S. Bolivar 30B – 1000 Brussels
Tel:  +32 2 208 38 47
Fax:  +32 2 208 38 66
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:
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):  New sprayers (equipment forspraying agricultural pesticides) and new nozzles for use in Belgium.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Ministerial Decree on the
Approval of New Sprayer and New Nozzles.
6. Description of content:  The mandatory approval measure for new sprayers and new nozzles
is aimed at more rational and controlled use of agricultural pesticides.
The criteria for approval which are the reason for notifying this Decree are set out
in Chapter III and concern sprayers for large-scale crops and arboriculture, as well as
nozzles.  Small appliances in which the mixture to be sprayed is placed under pressure by
hand or using compressed gas or gravity are excluded.
Approval is subject to payment and is valid for a period of ten years.  The system is
administered by the official rural engineerin g department of Gembloux (Ministry of Small
Firms and Traders and Agriculture).
The technical elements inspected for approval purposes are the following:
− For types of sprayers:  pump, spraying boom, reservoir, conduits and filters,
spraying boom and nozzle, control and regulation equipment, control devices,maintenance, checks, pressure stability, pressure gauges, hydraulic balance between
sections of the boom, adjustment returns, loss of pressure in sections of the boom,
flow from the individual nozzles, verifi cation of control systems (DPA, DPM).
− For types of nozzles:  specification, individual flow, coefficient of variation in the
transversal distribution of the mixture.G/TBT/Notif.98.508
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  The
objective of the measure is to verify the quality of new types of sprayers and new types of
nozzles before they are put on the market in order to ensure that farmers purchase sprayers
that are in good working order and meet current needs.  A previous measure applicable in
Belgium concerned the mandatory control of sprayers in operation, and it showed that somenew sprayers and nozzles currently on the market are not technically satisfactory.
8. Relevant documents:  -
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: } 60 days
10. Final date for comments:           
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X ] or address, e-mail and telefax number of
the other body:  CIBELNOR