Mandatory type certification of plant protection machines and spraying drones

By: STA Date: 2024. 05. 15. 10:30

The National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) informs the companies that manufacture and/or distribute plant protection machines – including spraying drones – that Regulation 43/2010 on plant protection activities (IV. 23.) Based on the FVM decree, the type certification of plant protection machines covered by the decree is mandatory.

(Photo: Pixabay)

The manufacturer and/or distributor must initiate the certification process, in order to ensure that growers can use plant protection machines in Hungary that are suitable only for drop formation and spraying.

The Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE) publishes the requirements of the type certification procedure on its website

The specialists of MATE have developed a system of conditions and requirements covering all the necessary details for plant protection machines covered by the regulation – including spraying drones equipped with a spray tank with a nominal volume of more than 5 dm3 – which is available on the website of the MATE University Laboratory Center . On the given link, you can find out – among other things – about the documents to be submitted to MATE, the course of the qualification procedure, the conditions for any necessary data replacement, as well as the time required and fees for the procedures. After a positive type certification procedure, plant protection machines and spraying drone types receive a marketing authorization valid for 5 years and are included in the related register kept by MATE. When the temporary validity expires, the marketing authorization must be renewed. To prove the existence of a valid permit, a sticker must be affixed to the plant protection machine – in a conspicuous place. Certification stickers are issued by MATE to manufacturers/distributors upon special request.

Those who buy a plant protection machine (spraying drone) are not subject to any obligation in this regard, but it is advisable in any case to make sure that the machine they want to buy from the dealer has a valid marketing permit and a verification sticker.

The Register of Plant Protection Machines Licensed for Market can also be downloaded from the MATE website. We would like to draw the attention of the relevant manufacturing and/or distribution companies to the fact that official proceedings may be initiated against distributors of devices that do not have a marketing authorization.

Nébih