Air pollution: gaseous and particulate pollutants by engines, agricultural tractors (amend. Directive 74/150/EEC)

OBJECTIVE: to adopt legislation on the emission of pollutants by agricultural or forestry tractors laying down requirements similar to those applicable to off-road mobile machinery so as to ensure equivalent protection of the environment.

SUBSTANCE: the proposal for a Directive concerns requirements applicable to emissions from agricultural or forestry tractors. They particularly concern the definition of type approval procedures by type of engine intended to be fitted to tractors, and also the definition of type approval procedures by type of vehicle from the point of view of emissions of pollutants. In the interests of consistency and industrial logic, the proposal incorporates the same testing requirements as were adopted for off-road mobile machinery and the corresponding emission limit values.

In order to facilitate access to third-country markets, equivalence between the technical requirements of the proposal concerning stage 1 and those in Regulation No 96 of the UN Economic Commission for Europe is recognised. In order to render the engine market more flexible, the technical requirements of Directive 88/77/EEC concerning emissions by diesel engines for use in vehicles will also be recognised during stage 1.