1997 No. 1543
AGRICULTURE

The Fertilisers (Amendment) Regulations 1997

Made
Laid before Parliament
Coming into force
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales, acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 66(1), 68(1), (2) and (3), 69(1), (3), (6) and (7), 70(1), 74(1), 74A(1), (2) and (4) and 84 of the Agriculture Act 19701 and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, after consultation in accordance with section 84(1) of the said Act with such persons or organisations as appear to them to represent the interests concerned, and the Secretary of State, being the Minister designated2 for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 19723 in relation to the regulation and control of classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances and preparations, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by the said section 2(2), and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:

Title, commencement and interpretation

1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Fertilisers (Amendment) Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 14th July 1997.

(2)

In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Fertilisers Regulations 19914.

Amendment of the principal Regulations

2.

The principal Regulations are hereby further amended in accordance with regulation 3 below.

3.

In the table in Schedule 1—

(a)

in Group 1(a) of section A (Straight Fertilisers), after the provisions relating to the material Ammonium sulphonitrate with dicyandiamide (nitrification inhibitor), there shall be inserted in columns (2) to (5) the contents of Schedule 1 to these Regulations; and

(b)

in section E (Secondary Nutrient Fertilisers), after the provisions relating to the material Magnesium sulphate solution, there shall be inserted in columns (2) to (5) the contents of Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

Jeff Rooker
Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Sewel
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scottish Office

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Wales

Win Griffiths
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Welsh Office

SCHEDULE 1

Regulation 3(a)

Urea-ammonium sulphate

Product obtained chemically from urea and ammonium sulphate containing not less than 30% nitrogen (N).

Minimum ammoniacal nitrogen content: 4%.

Minimum sulphur content expressed as sulphur trioxide: 12%.

Amount of:

Total nitrogen:

Ammoniacal nitrogen;

Ureic nitrogen;

Water-soluble sulphur trioxide;

Maximum biuret content: 0.9%.

0.5

} As set out in paragraph

} 7(a) of this Schedule

0.9

SCHEDULE 2

Regulation 3(b)

Magnesium hydroxide

Product obtained chemically and having as its essential ingredient magnesium hydroxide and containing not less than 60% MgO.

Particle size: at least 99% able to pass through a sieve with a mesh of 0.063 mm.

Total magnesium oxide

0.9

Suspension of magnesium hydroxide

Product obtained by suspension of magnesium hydroxide and containing not less than 24% MgO.

Total magnesium oxide

0.9

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Fertilisers Regulations 1991 (“the principal Regulations”) and implement Commission Directive 96/28/EC (OJ No. L140, 13.6.96, p.30) adapting to technical progress Council Directive 76/116/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to fertilisers.

The Regulations amend Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations, which relates to prescribed descriptions of material, meanings of names, particulars and information to be contained in the statutory statement and limits of variation, as regards fertilisers specified in the Table to that Schedule, by specifying additional fertilisers which may, in accordance with Commission Directive 96/28/EC, be designated as “EEC fertilisers” (regulation 3(a) and (b) and the Schedules).