. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/FRA/24
26 May 2003
(03-2800)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   FRANCE
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:
Interministerial Director for Standards – DiGITIP 5-
SQUALPI – Immeuble le Bervil
12, rue Villiot75572 PARIS Cédex 12
E-mail: suzanne.piau@industrie.gouv.fr
             or syrte@industrie.gouv.fr
Telephone: 01 53 44 97 04
Fax: 01 53 44 98 88
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  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, otherwis e national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Organic amendments –
compost containing materials derived from water treatment.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Order Establishing the
Mandatory Implementation of a Standard (3 pages, in French).
6. Description of content:   Mandatory implementation of Standard NF U 44-095 - Organic
Amendments – Compost Containing Materials of Agronomic Interest Derived from Water
Treatment.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:   
This Order relates primarily to the mandatory implementation of a new standard:
Standard NF U 44-095 (May 2002) – Organi c Amendments – Compost  Containing
Materials of Agronomic Interest Derived from Water Treatment.
Standard NF U 44-095 has been devised for organic amendments containing
materials that are derived from water treatment and that have undergone transformation and
especially composting in accordance with a "product" rather than "waste" logic.  The
Standard specifies the list of raw materials that can be included in the composition of theproducts and guarantees, through specific criteria (metallic trace elements, organic trace
compounds, micro-organisms), the safety of human beings, animals and the environment, as
well as the agronomic efficacy of products (mineralization tests and stability potential
characterization tests).
The implementation of this Standard is mandatory for public health reasons.G/TBT/N/FRA/24
Page 2
8. Relevant documents:
Customs Code, in particular Article 38;
Consumer Code, in particular Article L 214-1;
Rural Code, in particular Article L 255-2 ;
Law No. 41-1987 of 24 May 1941 on standardization;
Decree No. 84-74 of 26 January 1984, as amended, establishing the Standardization Code,in particular Article 12;
Order of 4 December 1974 approving and cancelling standards.
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }August 2003
10. Final date for comments:           
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [   ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
Ministère de l'agriculture, de l'alimentation, de la pêche et des affaires rurales
Direction Générale de l'alimentation
Sous-direction de la qualité et de la protection des végétaux
251, rue de Vaugirard75732 PARIS Cedex 15
E-mail:         odile.petit@agriculture.gouv.fr
Telephone:    01 49 55 81 41
Fax:               01 49 55 59 49
National Enquiry Point:
CINORTECH
AFNOR11, avenue Francis de Pressensé
93571 SAINT-DENIS-LA PLAINE Cédex