WORLD TRADE G/TBT/Notif.97.732
1December 1997
ORGANIZATION
(97-5279)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
NOTIFICATION
Thefollowing notification isbeing circulated inaccordance withArticle 10.6.
1. Member toAgreement notifying: NETHERLANDS
Ifapplicable, name oflocalgovernment involved (Articles 3.2and7.2):
2. Agency responsible: Ministry ofAgriculture, Nature Management andFisheries
Agency orauthority designated tohandle comments regarding thenotification shall be
indicated ifdifferent from above: National Enquiry Point
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X],2.10.1 [],5.6.2 [],5.7.1 [],other:
4. Products covered (HSorCCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICSnumbers maybeprovided inaddition, where applicable): Farm systems (stable
systems) andmanure storage provisions (silos, cellars, pits,etc.)
5. Title, number ofpages andlanguage(s) ofthenotified document: Draft Decree
Governing Rules Supplementing theFoundation oftheRegulating Mineral Levies with
Animal Manure Supplies (Decree onStocks under Fertilizer Act)
6. Description ofcontent: Thedraft Decree forms partofthenewsystem ofregulating
mineral levies which istobelaunched on1January 1998. Thenewsystem canbe
summarised asinvolving alevy which willbepayable onthetaxable quantity of
fertilizer (Article 31aoftheFertilizer Act). Thisthesumofthequantity ofsupplied
fertilizer andthequantity ofproduced animal fertilizer, lessthesumofthequantity of
animal fertilizer taken away, theabsorption offertilizer bythecrops andthepermissible
lossofminerals (Article 13boftheFertilizer Act). 'Loss ofminerals 'means the
quantity ofphosphates andnitrogen notabsorbed bythecrops. Supplies aredeemed
manure nottaken away andwillhence count toward thetaxable quantity offertilizer.
Thepresent Decree provides thefoundation formaking exceptions forcertain cattle
farms whereby themanure cannot reasonably betaken away more thanonceweekly and
forintermediary businesses (trade, transport, treatment orprocessing). TheMinister is
entrusted withdesignating suchcategories ofcattle farms (Article 3ofthedraftDecree)
anddrafting further conditions (Article 7ofthedraftDecree).
./.G/TBT/Notif.97.732
Page2
7. Objective andrationale, including thenature ofurgent problems where applicable: The
Decree aims toprevent cattle farms andintermediary businesses from ending upina
position worse offthantheircompetitors onaccount ofmore orlessinevitable supplies
(approximately 750)andsubstantial storage facilities (approximately 500), respectively.
8. Relevant documents: Articles 13a,13b,13j,13qand19oftheFertlizer Act
9. Proposed dateofadoption:
Proposed dateofentry intoforce:1January 1998
10. Final dateforcomments: 31December 1997
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X]oraddress, e-mail andtelefax number
ofother body: