Reducing emissions from agricultural and forestry tractors
The European Commission has adopted a proposal to amend Directive 74/150/EEC relating to the type approval of wheeled agricultural vehicles or forestry tractors. The proposal relates to measures to be taken against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from the diesel engines used in these vehicles. Limit values for emissions are laid down to be applied in successive stages. These involve the refusal of type approval by 1 October 2001, and prohibition of the initial entry into service of tractors by 1 October 2003, where the pollutants emitted by their engines do not meet the requirements. A test procedure for internal combustion engines is also provided for. The limit values to be applied are the same as those under Directive 88/77/EEC which relates to emissions of gaseous pollutants from diesel engines for use in vehicles. In addition, the legislation would serve to establish equivalence between this Directive and the requirements laid down in the United Nations Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Regulation 96 concerning the component type-approval of compression ignition engines for agricultural or forestry purposes in terms of their pollutant emissions.