G/TBT/N/FRA/215  
20 January  2022 
(22-0420) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.  
 
1. Notifying Member : FRANCE  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation - Direction Générale de l'Alimentation 
(Ministry of Agriculture and Food - Directorate -General of Food)  
Sous-direction de la qualité, de la Santé et de la protection des végétaux  (Sub-
Directorate for Plant Qu ality, Health and Protection)  
251, rue de Vaugirard  
75732 PARIS cedex 15  
sdqspv.dgal@agriculture.gouv.fr  
 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
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, otherwise national tariff 
heading . ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable) : Basic 
mineral soil conditioners - fertilizers ; Organic and organo -mineral fertilizers  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notifie d document : Arrêté modifiant 
l'arrêté du 5 septembre 2003 portant mise en application obligatoire de normes  (Order 
amending the Order of 5 September 2 003 establishing the mandatory implementation of 
standards) (4 pages, in French)  
6. Description of conten t: The notified Interministerial Order provides for the mandatory 
implementation of a standard . This measure constitutes an exemption from the marketing 
authorization referred to in Article L255 -2 of the Rural and Maritime Fisheries Code, and 
is provided f or in Article L 255 -5, point 1.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : Standards on fertilizing material and growing media seek to facilitate the 
marketing of well -known products . The implementation of these standards has been made 
mandatory for public health reasons . This draft provides for the mandatory 
implementation of supplement A1 to Standard NF U 44 -203 on Fertilizing material with 
mixed properties - Basic mineral soil conditione rs - Fertilizers . This Standard establishes 
descriptions, specifications and marking for basic mineral soil conditioners - fertilizers . It 
is aimed primarily at producers, users and official inspection bodies . This amendment 
supplements the general standar d revised in 2012 , by: 
• amending Articles 5 and 7 so that the calcium content (expressed as Ca and/or 
CaO) may be declared for basic mineral soil conditioners - fertilizers;  
• amending Article 6 on the specifications for trace element contents, by:  G/TBT/N/FRA/215  
- 2 - 
  • for class I, table 1, replacing the "Chrome Total" (Total Chromium) (Cr total) 
parameter by the "Chrome VI" (Chromium VI) (Cr VI) parameter, and 
introducing a table 2 on maximum fluxes for trace elements.  
• for class II, table 3, replacing the "Chrome Total" (To tal Chromium) (Cr total) 
parameter by the "Chrome VI" (Chromium VI) (Cr VI) parameter, and by 
introducing a table 5 on maximum fluxes for trace elements.  
• amending Standards 42 -001-2 of October 2 020 and 42 -001-3 of November 2 020. 
Along with Standard NF U 42 -001-1 of October 2 011 and amendment A1 of August 2 019 
thereto, these two Standards replace approved Standard NF U 42 -001 of December 1 981, 
and amendments A10 of December 2 009, A11 of January 2 014, and A12 of May 2 015 
thereto, which remain in  effect  under the regulation in which they are cited.  
These two standards respectively establish descriptions, specifications and marking for 
organic fertilizers and organo -mineral fertilizers . They are aimed primarily at producers, 
users and official inspection bodies . 
They do not seek to establish a selection that meets commercial quality criteria ; they 
solely set out to define and characterize each type of fertilizer so as to make it easier for 
the user to unambiguously distinguish and choose between them.  
8. Relevant documents : Articles L 255 -1 et suivants du code rural et de la pêche maritime ; 
normes NF U 44 -203 
9. Proposed date of adoption : 30 June 2 022 
Proposed date of entry into force : 1 July 2 022 
10. Final date for comments : 60 days from the date of notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:  
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -
databases/tris/fr/search/?trisaction=search.detail&year=2021&num=686