Bundesportal | Plant protection equipment: Testing of new equipment and application for entry in the descriptive list

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Publisher

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)

Last update or date of publication

July 8, 2024

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

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The Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) offers various types of voluntary tests with different scopes. The JKI enters the successfully tested plant protection equipment or equipment parts in the so-called descriptive list. The devices listed there fulfill the legal requirements of the Plant Protection Act.

Users, for example from agriculture or horticulture, can use the descriptive list to find out, among other things, which plant protection equipment they are allowed to use to apply certain plant protection products that require approval. For manufacturers, voluntary testing is important for the EU-wide sale of their equipment, among other things.

The JKI offers these voluntary tests:

Testing for compliance with the requirements of the Plant Protection Act: In a document check, the JKI checks documents such as instructions for use, description sheets or technical information for completeness and plausibility. A visual inspection extends the document check to include a visual inspection of the device (without technical measurements). Successful testing can be helpful for the CE declaration of conformity for the EU-wide distribution of your product.
Testing for JKI recognition: The JKI test seal "Officially tested and recognized" certifies that your plant protection product has properties that go beyond the legally required minimum standard. Recognition includes technical tests in JKI test stands. Tests in practical use are carried out by the plant protection authorities of the federal states.
Additional extension of the test for entry of loss reduction in the descriptive list in accordance with the Plant Protection Act: Plant protection equipment that has already undergone the approval procedure can also be tested for drift reduction or savings of plant protection products. These properties are important in practice so that, for example, certain crop protection products can be used with your device in accordance with the application regulations for crop protection products.

Submit these documents for voluntary tests:

Instructions for use
Description of the device type
Pictorial representation of the entire appliance, for example as a photo

For JKI approval additionally:

Confirmation that the appliance is in perfect working order in terms of accident prevention. You will usually receive this confirmation from the umbrella organization of the agricultural social insurance.
If applicable: Confirmation of compliance with road traffic licensing regulations, e.g. for trailers or self-propelled implements

For the check for entry in the descriptive list:

List of designs to be entered in the "Loss-reducing devices" list. This list may contain all versions equipped with the device tested for drift reduction or pesticide saving, even if they have not been tested as a complete device.

Forms available: Yes
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: No
Personal appearance necessary: No

Online services available: No

Antragsformular für Prüfung, Anerkennungsprüfung, Verlustminderung

Label

Preconditions

There are no prerequisites.

Hints

There are no indications or special features.

The costs for voluntary testing depend on the type of your device and the amount of testing required. The JKI will inform you of the estimated costs before the testing of your device begins.

Cost range for the general processing of the application: EUR 97.00 - EUR 350.00

Cost framework for testing equipment:

Attachments, equipment for the distribution of pellets and granulates and dusts, self-propelled equipment for the distribution of liquid plant protection products (including 1 set of nozzles or 1 distribution device): EUR 2,300.00 - EUR 18,600.00
Trailed and mounted implements and self-propelled implements whose dimensions or area coverage are significantly larger than those of conventional implements (including 1 set of nozzles): EUR 2,600.00 - EUR 27,800.00
Back-mounted power tools: EUR 1,300.00 - EUR 8,600.00
Portable fog generators: EUR 1,100.00 - EUR 5,900.00
Hand-operated back- or shoulder-mounted devices, including portable devices for enclosed spaces (e.g. small foggers and vaporizers): EUR 900.00 - EUR 4,700.00
Hand-held equipment for the application of solid or liquid plant protection products: EUR 1,000.00 - EUR 4,700.00
Seed dressing equipment: EUR 2,600.00 - EUR 18,600.00
Sprayers for aircraft: EUR 2,300.00 - EUR 21,600.00
Sprayers for rail vehicles: EUR 2,600.00 - EUR 29,300.00
Other equipment (e.g. equipment for soil disinfection, fumigation, rodent control): EUR 900.00 - 18,300.00
Testing of drift reduction: EUR 340.00 - EUR 1,000.00
Testing of pesticide savings: EUR 340.00 - EUR 1,000.00

Cost framework for testing equipment parts:

Spray boom or blower (including 1 nozzle set or 1 nozzle elbow): 2,400.00 EUR - 9,800.00 EUR
Nozzle mouthpiece, nozzle plate or nozzle filter sets: EUR 1,500.00 - EUR 6,000.00
Hoses: 480.00 EUR - 2,300.00 EUR
Pumps: 590.00 EUR - 3,200.00 EUR
Other device parts: 420.00 EUR - 5,500.00 EUR

Basis for legal action

§ 1 Verordnung über die Prüfung von Pflanzenschutzgeräten (Pflanzenschutzgeräteverordnung)

§ 52 Pflanzenschutzgesetz (PflSchG)

Legal Remedies

Appeal

You can find more detailed information on how to lodge an objection in your notification.

Procedure

You can submit the application for voluntary testing and entry in the descriptive list by post:

Download the application form from the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) website. Send the signed form with company stamp and the required documents to the JKI by post or scanned as an e-mail attachment.
The JKI will check your documents and contact you if it requires further evidence. The JKI will send you an advance invoice for the general processing of the application and, if applicable, for a share of the expected total costs.
In the next step, the JKI will arrange an appointment with you for an inspection of your device or device part. The test is usually carried out on site at the JKI in Braunschweig. You are responsible for the transportation of the device to and from the site. Please make sure that you are insured within the scope of your statutory liability for damage during transportation and testing.
After a positive inspection, the JKI will send you a notification. The JKI will also publish your device in the descriptive list.
You pay the amount still due for the inspection less any advance payment already made.

Deadlines

You do not have to meet any deadlines.

Processing time

1 year until 6 years
Usually 1 to 2 years. Maximum 6 years.