. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/BEL/41 
12 April 2007 
 (07-1460) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   French 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated 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:  
Service Pesticides et Engrais (Pesticides and Fertilizer Branch) 
DG Animaux, Végétaux et Alimentation (Directorate-General of Animals, Plants and Food) 
SPF Santé Publique, Sécurité de la ch aîne alimentaire et environnement  
(Federal Public Service – Public Heal th, Food Chain Safety and Environment) 
Eurostation Bloc II, 7e étage Place Victor Horta 40 boîte 10 1060 BRUSSELS 
Tel.:  +32 2 524 72 76 
Fax:  +32 2 524 72 99 E-mail:  Raffael.Buonatesta@health.fgov.be
 
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, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Packing and labelling of 
phytopharmaceuticals 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Royal Order 
Amending the Royal Order of 28 February 1 995 on the Storage, Marketing and Use of 
Pesticides for Agriculture (15 pages, in French). 
6. Description of content:   The draft Royal Order first introduces the notions of professional 
and amateur users.  It goes on to introduce the criteria determining approval of a phytopharmaceutical product for the amateur market.  These criteria cover packing and 
labelling in particular.  The draft Royal Order provides inter alia  that a pharmaceutical 
product for amateur use must be contained in a bottle with a safety cap for liquid and solid 
products or, in the case of solids not put up in bottles, in hermetically sealable packaging.  
Any requests for other types of packaging must be substantiated.  A waiver may then be 
granted by the Minister, after consultation of the Approvals Committee, if the reasons given 
are found to be relevant.  Where the formulation of a product so requires, a measuring
 G/TBT/N/BEL/41 
Page 2  
 
  6. Description of content:   (cont'd) 
utensil for accurate dosage of the product must be provided with the packaging.  In order to 
minimize the storing of phytopharmaceuticals by amateur users, the content of the packaging is limited to a quantity for treati ng an area not exceeding 5 ares.  A waiver may 
nonetheless be granted by the Minister, afte r consultation of the Approvals Committee, 
upon a substantiated request from the applicant.   Article 9.2 provides that any image or 
pictogram concerning dosage, periods of applicati on, material for application, plants to be 
treated or organisms to be controlled must, in  order to appear on the label, have prior 
validation from the Pesticides and Fertilizer Branch  of the Federal Public Service for Public 
Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:   At 
present, although phytopharmaceuticals are marketed only after the Approvals Committee 
has checked that they present no unacceptable ri sks for public health and the environment, 
they are not equally suitable for all users.  In many cases amateur users have different needs 
and different ways of using pesticides from professionals.  It is therefore necessary to protect amateur users and the environment by offering only products specially adapted to amateur use.  This is the rationale for the draft Royal Order. 
8. Relevant documents:   Royal Order of 28 February 1994 on the Storage, Marketing and 
Use of Pesticides for Agriculture. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  End 2007 
Proposed date of entry into force:  End 2007-early 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   31 June 2007 
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: 
Service Pesticides et Engrais  
DG Animaux, Végétaux et Alimentation SPF Santé Publique, Sécurité de la ch aîne alimentaire et environnement 
Eurostation Bloc II, 7e étage Place Victor Horta 40 boîte 10 
1060 BRUSSELS 
Tel.:  +32 2 524 72 76 
Fax:  +32 2 524 72 99 E-mail:  Raffael.Buonatesta@health.fgov.be