WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/FRA/5/Add.1
11 August 2003
(03-4179)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  French
NOTIFICATION
Addendum
The following communication, dated 1 August 2003, has been received from the European
Communities.
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Basic mineral amendments and growing media - compost containing materials of agronomic interest
derived from water treatment
Further to the notification in document G/SPS/N/FRA/5 (of 10 March 2003), France has
adopted the Order relating primarily to the mandatory implementation of a new standard:  French
Standard NF U 44-095 (May 2002) - Organic Amendments - Compost Containing Materials of
Agronomic Interest Derived from Water Treatment.
Standard NF U 44-095 has been devised for organi c amendments containing materials that are
derived from water treatment and that have undergone transformation and especially composting in
accordance with a "product" rather than a "waste" logic. The Standard specifies the list of raw
materials that can be included in the composition of the products and guarantees, through specificcriteria (metallic trace elements, organic trace compounds, micro-organisms), the safety of human
beings, animals and the environment, as well as the agronomic efficacy of the products
(mineralization tests and stability potential characterization tests).
Standards dealing with fertilizing substances  and growing media are mandatory for public
health reasons.  The implementation of this Standard is therefore also mandatory.
The notified document may be obtained from the following address:
Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Rural Affairs
Directorate-General of Food and Nutrition
Department of Plant Protection and Quality
251, rue de Vaugirard
75732 Paris Cedex 15
France
E-mail:  odile.petit@agriculture.gouv.fr
Tel.:  (33-1) 49 55 81 41 - Fax:  (33-1) 49 55 59 49
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