5th European Workshop on Plant Protection Equipment Inspections - SPISE 5 Workshop  

The SPISE 5 Workshop took place at Montpellier, South of France, on 15 to 17 October 2014. About 100 participants from 23 European Countries and from Extra-European Countries (Brasil and Canada) took part. The locally organisation was under the responsibility of the National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture IRSTEA, Montpellier, France. The workshop site was the Agropolis conference centre which is situated in a very short distance to the IRSTEA building.  The Workshop was held by the SPISE Working Group (SWG), to which representatives from Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany belong. For the first time Prof. P. Balsari had the chairmanship for a SPISE workshop. 

The aim of the SPISE 5 Workshop was to support further the introduction of inspections of plant protection equipment already in use in the Member States (MS) of the EU. Following the publication of Directive 2009/128/EC in October 2009, the Member States have to introduce technical inspections for plant protection equipment at regular intervals and ensure that all items of plant protection equipment have been inspected at least once by 2016. The Directive determines the key points. The development of procedures between the MS is left to the Member States according to the principle of subsidiarity. They have a fair amount of leeway and are able to take their own experience and conditions into consideration. 

The Workshop began with a round table session, where a representative from the Commission (K. Nienstedt) presented the opinion and expectations of DG Sanco. “Inspections of pesticide application equipment in the context of European legislation” was the title of her presentation. Further speakers reported on ISO 16122 harmonized standards (V. Polvêche, FR), “The experience of the introduction of the inspection of sprayers in use from one Member State’s point of view” (A. Fjelstedt, DK), “What is the farmer’s EU feeling from Copa Cogeca’s standpoint” (JF. Proust, FR) and “Sprayer inspection issues – the testimony of a professional organization - Federation des Fruits et Legumes” (J.-P. Douzals, FR). 

The attendance and the involvement of the representative from DG Sanco are seen as a sign of recognition for the work done by SPISE and should not go unmentioned. 

The subject matter for the sessions originally resulted from the sections of Article 8 of Directive 2009/128/EC. The content of the sessions was prepared by the Technical Working Groups (TWG) which were installed at the SPISE 4 workshop at Lana in 2014. 

Session 1: Inspection of new sprayers before their delivery (TWG 1)
Chairmen:  E. Gil, C. Schulze-Stentrop 

Session 2: Train application – State of the art and parameters to be inspected (TWG 7)
Chairmen: J. Kole, P. Balsari, H. Kramer 

Session 3: Correct use of sprayer inspection harmonized test methods and definition of additional test methods for application equipment not covered by harmonized standards (TWG 3)
Chairmen: J.-P. Douzals, V. Polvêche 

Session 4: “Certification” of the workshop activity (quality assurance) including test facilities (TWG 4)
Chairmen: J. Kole, P. Harašta 

Session 5: Harmonise the training of the inspectors to achieve the same professional level of the inspections (TWG 5)
Chairmen: E. Nilsson, H. Kramer, H. Wehmann 

Session 6: Minimum workshop facilities necessary to make an appropriate sprayer adjustment of orchard sprayer at the workshop during the inspection (TWG 6)
Chairmen: P. Balsari, J. Langenaakens, A. Herbst 

Session 7: Definition of a common risk assessment procedure for Pesticide Application Equipment (PAE) to be exempted from the inspection (TWG 2)
Chairmen: B. Huyghebaert, N. Bjugstad 

Nearly 40 presentations from the participants plus 12 posters showed the ongoing activities in the Member States and the current situation regarding the introduction of plant protection equipment in the MS. 

During the discussions assigned to each session it was determined repeatedly that regarding several facts and circumstances there is a need for specific recommendations or advices in which way the requirements of the Directive 2009/128/EC (Sustainable Use Directive) should be implemented and applied. Against this background it was decided to prepare “SPISE Advices” to each of these issues.

 On the second day an excursion was following. The first highlight were the widespread visit to the testing facilities of IRSTEA and the demonstration of inspections of sprayers plus the testimony of an inspector by GIP Pulvés. The program was topped off with the demonstration of the “Ecospray Viti test bench” where different application qualities for wine-growing were demonstrated. The next item on the programme was the visit of the winery of the Domaine du Chapitre, Villeneuve les Maguelonne. Here the participants were informed concerning the special requirements on the vine-growing in that region. And finally during the visit of the Experimental station for horticulture (CEHM) at Marsillargues the participants were able to gather information on the wide range of application technology in fruit-growing and horticulture plus their inspection. An exhibition of orchard sprayers and of test equipment for the measurement of the vertical spray distribution offered extended information. The special circumstances in the surrounding of the Montpellier region require a comprehensive control of mosquitoes. The different equipment used for this purpose plus their inspection possibilities were demonstrated and explained by the representative of the “Interdepartmental Agreement for mosquito control of the Mediterranean coast (EID)”.