Dr Tim Evans, Chairman of CEN/TC 223

Transcription

1 Dr Tim Evans, Chairman of CEN/TC 223

2 CEN Vienna agreement ISO EN IS CEN members Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland UK National standards At the end of the day you need consensus and agreement

3 To facilitate trade in soil improvers and growing media and reduce barriers to trade Soil improver - a material added to soil in situ primarily to maintain or improve its physical properties, and which may improve its chemical and/or biological properties or activity Growing medium - a material, other than soil in situ, in which plants are grown No distinction about primary or secondary raw materials Focus on fitness for purpose and whether a material is traded

4 Created 1986 WG1 Labelling and Specification WG2 Safety WG3 Sampling and Quantity Measurement WG4 Analytical Methods Initially too ambitious and progress was slow prioritised work programme about 1994 to focus on the most important

5 Objectives CEN label that could be used in all countries schedule of materials and specifications Do you require everything to be declared on the label or just the most important? Professional users might understand and require technical data but most amateur users won t too much information can obscure the essential with the trivial

6 Essential information quantity 40 litres when packed responsible person safety wash hands after using this product intended use and restrictions on use soil improver / seed & cutting / multi-purpose / etc. not suitable for acid-loving plants

7 Long list of raw materials peat, bark, coir, wood fibre, manure, sewage sludge, greenwaste, olive stones, grape skins, pumice, perlite, rockwool, polystyrene... Didn t really fit the fertiliser model of product specifications Even experts couldn t identify and classify proprietary products

8 Just before the final vote several members lodged applications for A-deviations to avoid conflict with their national regulations Published as a report CR 13456:1999 Soil improvers and growing media Labelling, Specifications and Product Schedules Many major producers have agreed amongst themselves to apply much of the report

9 CR :1999 Soil improvers and growing media Guidelines for the safety of users, the environment and plants. lists the hazards and discusses the risks that different product types may present objective - to give manufacturers a framework within which they can assess products to enable them to exercise due diligence with regard to safety both as regards occupational exposure during manufacture and users during use of the products. includes considerations for labelling with respect to safety

10 describes the hazard; lists existing regulations that are relevant; discusses the applicability of the hazard to different types of soil improvers and growing media; recommends safety guidelines but no limit values different experts had their own ideas, we did not have the resources to do a proper risk assessment limit values are the prerogative of policy makers

11 Hazards physical, fire, ph, chemical, microbiological Safety users (domestic / professional) & in production environment (fauna, flora, soil, water, air) growth of plants Source Pathway Receptor (dose)

12 Products are bulky low value some compress irreversibly wide range of particle size - some products are 4mm others are 60mm+ A degree of compression improves precision net purchasers wants more compression net producers wanted less compression

13 Specifies dimensions 20 litre cylinder filling collar for compression fall controllers to modulate velocity straight edge to strike off sample Quantifies precision

14 18 people + equipment from 6 countries to a manufacturer s factory 10 products sampled from bulk and measured results analysed to ISO 5725 bottom line - standards are robust enough for litigation standards have been adopted by producers, even though they have to put more in the bags

15 ph electrical conductivity organic matter and ash sample preparation for chemical and physical tests, determination of dry matter content, moisture content and laboratory bulk density dry bulk density, air volume, water volume, shrinkage value and total pore space

16 International interlab trials participants 3 products (as traded, not pre-prepared) results analysed to ISO 5725 drafts for consultation comments resolution final drafts for consultation translation and publication 1999

17 aqua regia extraction water extraction CaCl 2 -DTPA (CAT) extraction total-n part 1 modified Kjeldahl part 2 Dumas no significant difference in interlab trial standardise the extraction but not operation of the analytical instrument for determination

18 International interlab trials participants 6 products (as traded, not pre-prepared) results analysed to ISO 5725 precision of extraction standards estimated by analysing extracts for SO 4 -S, Na, B, Cu, Fe, M, Mo, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, F, NH 4 -N, NO 3 -N, P, K, Ca, Mg published 2001

19 Quantity measure for products >60mm Ingredients are shifting from primary to secondary raw materials new parameters human, plant, animal pathogens does treatment control hazard to acceptable risk contras plastic, glass, metal, stones

20 organic micropollutants WG2 concluded it could find no precise foundations for existing/proposed limits analysis is expensive and results are extremely variable organic micropollutants in SI/GM are undesirable but it is not possible to propose limits however if policy makers want to set limits we need standardised analytical methods

21 Viable plant propagules seeds, stolons, etc Phytotoxicity herbicide? Composting by-product? Stability essential for GM but not for bulk SI Standard growing conditions also best screen for toxins

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23 Financial / contractual issues Project organisation EU DG Research ISO/TC147 CEN/TC223 CEN/TC230 CEN/TC260 CEN/TC292 CEN/TC308 CEN/TC335 MC s Co-financing ISO/TC190 CEN/ ENV_TC CEN CMC PROJECT TEAM Draft EN s Steering Committee MC s Co-financing WP 10 Project Management WP 5 Organic Contaminants Technical and strategic issues DG Research WP 1 Sample collection and preparation WP 2 Sampling/ Pretreatment WP 6 Inorganic parameters WP 7 Mechanical Properties TC = Technical Committee MC = Member Country (EU) WP 3 Hygienic Parameters WP 8 Leaching tests WP 4 Biological Parameters WP 9 Data handling and interpretation

24 SI & GM for gardeners based on sewage cake sanitised by composting with straw first alternatives to peat that competed on price, performance and consistency Multipurpose growing medium Growing bag growing medium Soil improver

25 seed sowing trial of antirrhinum brand-leading coir-based mpc TERRA peat-free mpc

26 brand-leading peat-based mpc TERRA peat-free mpc

27 performance matches brand leader Less risk of blossom end rot Easier to feed and water Fruit tastes better Cumulative wieght of good ripe "Shirley" tomatoes /g TERRA 2000 PEAT days since planting

28 Sales grew because the products worked No. Customers No. bags Bags per garden centre

29 Safety labelling WG1 and WG2 Recommendations for usage - avoids misuse, disappointment and liability Clear description of origin Responsible person Quantities when packed according to WG3 Quality measured using WG4 methods Due diligence - pathogens / deterioration in bag / tissue analysis / exhaustion analysis

30 Standards can reduce barriers to trade can improve comparability of data for customers and regulators it is essential to objectively measure precision of standards industry supported development of 223 s standards they have proved fit for purpose and have been adopted voluntarily

31 I should like to thank all of the people (and their employers) who have contributed to the success of CEN/TC 223 and for their support, dedication and friendship