Narrow-track tractors: European Commission opening to manufacturers' appeal
A seminar updating the procedure on the off-road mobile machinery emission regulation was held at Agrilevante in Bari to check on the final phase of negotiations conducted in the competent European Union institutions. The appeal of the Italian manufacturers for an ad hoc norm, put forward by MEP Elisabetta Gardini, has been accept
An important new development on the issue of narrowtrack tractors arrived during a seminar entitled, Narrow-Tract Tractors, a Technical and Political Issue, sponsored by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, held in Bari at Agrilevante with the president of the federation, Massimo Goldoni, and Gianluca Cristoni of CIA, representing COPA-COGECA, the European association of professional farmers, acting
as relateurs. The session was devoted to providing an update on the norm to apply to tractors and off-road mobile machinery emissions. During the seminar, news arrived on the outcome of the first meeting in Brussels of the three European
Union institutions charged with final approval of measures regulating these emissions, the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. The European Commission took note of the position of the Council, and especially the proposal to modify the regulation put forward MEP Elisabetta Gardini, the relateur for the entire question of off-road machinery, and voted on in the
European Parliament September 15th, ruled to accept the manufacturers’ request for an ad hoc norm. Massimo Goldoni declared, “These recent developments are promising for our industries because they mean recognition of the specific requirements for the manufacturers of specialist tractors, machines which cannot be equipped with bulky anti-pollution devices which the European Commission,
in the initial regulatory proposal, had called for for all off-road machinery with no distinction.” He went on to say, “I’m certain the new text will set out a new and more reasonable timetable to allow the manufacturing industries to develop technological solutions which must not distort the present structure and functions of these machines.” Gianluca Cristoni said for his part, “The question of narrowtract tractors has been followed with close attention by the agricultural machinery producers because operations in vineyard rows can be performed only by extremely compact machines and certainly not by machines made big and bulky by the strict application of the norm.” The manufacturers of these tractors and farmers are on the same wave length as testified to by the attraction of the general public to an exhibition under the heading Narrow-Track Tractor – Italian Par Excellence set up at Agrilevante. On display are seven models of specialist tractors for vineyards and fruit orchards produced by leading Italian manufacturers in a scenographic reproduction of canopy vineyard rows, typical of vineyards plantings in the Mezzogiorno, Italian south. The display clearly underscores the size and specific function these machines must maintain for efficient operations.
