Page: 1 BUSINESS PLAN CEN/TC 144 TRACTORS AND MACHINERY FOR AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY 1 BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT OF THE CEN/TC 1.1 Descriptin f the Business Envirnment The fllwing plitical, ecnmic, technical, regulatry, legal, scietal and/r internatinal dynamics describe the business envirnment f the industry sectr, prducts, materials, disciplines r practices related t the scpe f this CEN/TC, and they may significantly influence hw the relevant standards develpment prcesses are cnducted and the cntent f the resulting standards: Plitical factrs In general, each member state tends t encurage the develpment f SMEs since these create emplyment. It shuld be emphasised that standardisatin is very useful t SMEs nt nly because it helps t eliminate trade barriers but als n accunt f the knwledge it prvides them with. The degradatin f the envirnment and especially that f the quality f water leads the member states tgether with Eurpean Unin (UE) t urge agriculture t adpt less plluting agricultural practices. The implementatin f such methds may imply equipment having imprved characteristics and perfrmances. Harmnisatin f requirements and f assessment methds will benefit all the parties invlved. Energy efficiency and envirnmental prtectin are increasing mre cmmn factrs with regard t, n ne hand the price increase f energy, n the ther hand, t the impact f CO2 emissins n green huse effect as well as the reductin f hazardus substances in the envirnment. This generates natinal plicies under harmnizatin (Directive WEEE, D ecdesign, D energy related prducts ). Ecnmic factrs The cst f technical barriers t trade is far higher fr enterprises tday than that f standardisatin, in spite f the breakthrughs stemming frm wrk in the field f safety (fr instance a 1 000 peple cmpany may spend 10 % f its R&D budget as cmpliance expenditures). Manufacturers in this field f activity have a vital need fr an extensive market: 1. t reach a prductin vlume strng enugh t match prices users are willing t pay; and 2. t resist majr natinal/reginal market fluctuatins which can ften reach up t 40 % frm ne year t anther n a given natinal market fr a given prduct. Scial factrs Tw phenmena shuld be taken int accunt: 1. the need fr imprved safety and cmfrt frm users; and 2. the suspicin frm cnsumers twards mdern agriculture prducts and practices, fr example in terms f treatment prduct residues.
Page: 2 Technical factrs Machine technlgy is changing fast, especially because f the intrductin f electrnic and infrmatin prcessing systems. This cntributin has nt been taken int accunt up until nw in the wrk. This culd lead t a mismatch with the state f art, giving rise t difficulties in the field f safety, fr instance. One knws, fr example, the prblems raised by the use f prgrammable devices fr the safety functins in ther fields f machinery: certain public authrities disagree with this slutin and/r impse such redundancies that the cst becmes prhibitive. Similar debates culd arise within CEN/TC 144 if the future revisins and standards did nt explicitly include this type f technlgies. Legal factrs The availability f Eurpean Directives is a factr which prvides useful cmmn guidelines t the experts and call fr new standards. Internatinal trade and standardisatin aspects The presence f many Eurpean manufacturers n markets utside the EU make sme f them wish fr a wider harmnisatin, whereas thers fear the influence f Nrth America. In general, it is mre difficult t reach an internatinal cnsensus fr standards drafted in view f btaining presumptin f cnfrmity t EU Directives. Nevertheless, there are cases where these difficulties are mre easily vercme, especially when the market f the prduct cncerned is truly glbal (e.g. f prducts: tractrs and cmbine harvesters, frestry machinery and sme garden equipment). This is realized by wrking thrugh Vienna agreement n items having wrld wide interest. 1.2 Quantitative Indicatrs f the Business Envirnment The fllwing list f quantitative indicatrs describes the business envirnment in rder t prvide adequate infrmatin t supprt actins f the CEN /TC: The TC 144 field f applicatin includes prductin machines and equipment required fr farming and frestry as well as fr gardening. Up until nw, the questins that have been dealt with relate t safety with reference t Directive 2006/42/EC and its amendment 2009/127/EC and t envirnmental prtectin with reference t the Framewrk Directive 2009/128/EC. The parties actively invlved in the prcess are manufacturers, public authrities and regulatry bdies, insurance cmpanies, research and testing rganisatins specialising in the field f agricultural, gardening and frestry equipment and/r that f safety. This last categry cntributes in particular twards the definitin and develpment f verificatin methds. The great variety f equipment cncerned reflects the diversity f the agricultural, gardening and frestry peratins (frm sil preparatin t harvesting), f users and as well as f envirnmental, gegraphic and sils cnditins. The industry is made up f a large number f small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and f a few large natinal r multinatinal cmpanies, the latter cvering particularly mst f the tractrs, grain harvesters and chain saws. The ttal number f prductin sites emplying mre than 10 peple is abut 4500.
Page: 3 In ttal, the prductin f this field f activity represents a value f 22 Billin in terms f persnnel, it amunts t 135 000 emplyees in prductin and 150 000 in maintenance and distributin. The great diversity (gegraphical in particular) f bth supply and demand, gives rise t a very high flw f trade within the EU which represent a value f 13 Billins. The vlume f trade with the rest f the wrld is als quite imprtant (exprts amunting t 5.5 Billins, i.e. 25% f ttal turnver) because f the activity f the largest cmpanies n the ne hand and f certain specialised SMEs, n the ther hand (fr the latter fr example vineyards equipment, sprayers, sil wrking machines ). NOTE The abve figures d nt fully include all garden related equipment, especially that fr individuals, althugh such equipment is included in the scpe f TC 144. 2 BENEFITS EXPECTED FROM THE WORK OF THE CEN/TC In the field f safety 52 available standards (cmpared t 54 already published) have already been cited in the Official Jurnal f the Eurpean Cmmunity under Directive 2006/42/EC and cnfer presumptin f cnfrmity with Essential Requirements f that Directive; apprximately 25 additinal standards are under develpment r apprval and can be expected t be cited in the Official Jurnal). In the field f envirnmental prtectin On the basis f the 11 published standards currently prviding tls fr harmnizing natinal regulatins and even lcal practices, several standards are under preparatin : a serie f 4 candidate harmnized standards dealing with new sprayers; anther series f 4 standards fr cvering sprayers in use ; anther series f 2 standards related t knapsack sprayers. A wrk prgramme will have t be prepared in rder t elabrate the mst necessary standards related t the energy efficiency/co2 emissins and recyclability f machines in phase with the evlutin f the up-cming regulatins (Directive WEEE, D ecdesign, D energy related prducts ). 3 PARTICIPATION IN THE CEN/TC All the CEN natinal members are entitled t nminate delegates t CEN Technical Cmmittees and experts t Wrking Grups, ensuring a balance f all interested parties. Participatin as bservers f recgnized Eurpean r internatinal rganizatins is als pssible under certain cnditins. T participate in the activities f this CEN/TC, please cntact the natinal standards rganizatin in yur cuntry. The participatin f public authrities wuld be welcmed in rder t ntably avid t questin standards at the end f the prcess. In additin the participatin f users wuld allw t develp mst suitable technical slutins.
Page: 4 4 OBJECTIVES OF THE CEN/TC AND STRATEGIES FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENT 4.1 Defined bjectives f the CEN/TC In the field f safety: 54 standards have already been adpted. Tday, almst the mst imprtant machines have a specific standard. Nevertheless, TC 144 still has t deal with sme types f machines fr which the applicatin f the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC wuld remain difficult withut a specific standard and/r fr which a significant hazard reductin prblem is psed. Furthermre, the revisin f existing standards must be undertaken, accunt being taken f experience and f technical develpments (and f the 5-years peridical review). On this ccasin, prvisins related t the reductin f nise and vibratins levels, by design, ergnmy and safety f cntrl systems shuld be included. As far as the envirnment is cncerned The existing prgramme tls fr harmnizing the regular technical inspectin freseen t achieve the sustainable use f pesticides shall be cnducted. On the ther hand, standards r parts f standards shuld be develped fr evaluating the energy efficiency and CO 2 emissins.. In case f revisin f existing standards, and where the market is glbally relevant, the wrk shuld be undertaken within the framewrk f the Vienna Agreement, n a case by case basis. Befrehand an analysis f reginal regulatry cnstraints shall be made in rder t ascertain the feasibility f preparing harmnized standards befre wrk is undertaken, and in case f dubt t nly deal with cmmn aspects. 4.2 Identified strategies t achieve the CEN/TC.s defined bjectives. Highest pririty is given t the achievement f standards under the mandates: M/396 and M/471 which supprt the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and its amendment 2009/127/EC; M/435 linked t the Framewrk Directive 2009/128/EC n the sustainable use f pesticides. As far as new tpics are cncerned, a preliminary inventry shall be made n the scientific and technical data available and cnsequently n the pssible need fr prenrmative research. If needed, the rganizatin f the wrk will have t be adapted t the evlutin f the wrk prgramme. In case f revisin f existing standards, and where the market is glbally relevant, the wrk shuld be undertaken within the framewrk f the Vienna Agreement, n a case by case basis. Befrehand an analysis f reginal regulatry cnstraints shall be made in rder t ascertain the feasibility f preparing harmnized standards within the meaning f the Eurpean directives befre wrk is undertaken, and in case f dubt t nly deal with cmmn aspects. 4.3 Envirnmental aspects The envirnmental aspects will be dealt with accrding t the strategy definied in 4.2 stemed frm the analysis f the regulatry cntext under preparatin (Directive WEEE, Directive ecdesign, Directive energy related prducts, ).
Page: 5 The envirnmental checklist as given in the CEN Guide 4 fr addressing envirnmental issues in prduct standards (circulated as N 1291) will have t be cmpleted, updated as apprpriate and attached t drafts during the develpment f all the TC 144 standards. 5 FACTORS AFFECTING COMPLETION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CEN/TC WORK PROGRAMME In the field f safety, sme difficulties still remain the Eurpean market mnitring is insufficient t ensure fair cmpetitin; the lw invlvement f the public authrities in the elabratin f standards leads t have t frequently threads r frmal bjectins that upset the prcess, discredit the TC wrk and cnsequently discurage the participants; the lack f harmnisatin f rad safety technical regulatins narrws the scpe f harmnisatin resulting frm the Machinery Directive, and even cnflicts with it. In the field f envirnmental prtectin Sme nn-crdinated, cmmunity regulatry initiatives leads t having hetergeneus requirements related t the cntent, even smetimes cntradictry, and with very different levels f imprtance. Given this situatin, sme member bdies find it extremely difficult t keep their invlved parties fully invlved in the CEN wrk. Mrever, the quality f the wrk culd be imprved by: a better invlvement f sme cuntries, f the users and the regulatry bdies at all stages f develpment; prviding the WGs with relevant infrmatin related t accidents and t their circumstances t let them cnduct a risk analysis in the best cnditins.