An overview of the defects on tested field sprayers in Belgium

In Belgium, the inspection of sprayers is performed by official and mobile teams ruled by two regional inspection authorities. The management of the inspection is done by the federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Public Health and the Environment. Regional authorities need to have an ISO 17020 certification, so as a consequence the Belgian inspection is completely independent and objective. In this way inspection results are centralized and can be easily consulted. The inspection results are a very useful tool to have an overview of the general condition of the Belgian sprayers. Those results can be helpful when advising on changes in legislation. They can also be used as an instrument to advise farmers on how to improve their spraying machines, or what points they have to pay attention to when buying a new or second-hand machine. Therefore, a detailed overview is made of the inspection results of the year 2008.