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NFU WINS EU VICTORY IN TRACTOR MOT TESTING Secures exemptions for ag vehicles
The NFU has successfully secured exemptions for agricultural vehicles from MOT testing, following a vote by the EU Parliament.
After a ‘trilogue’ agreement between the European Parliament, Council and Commission at the end of last year, MEPs in Strasbourg have tthis week finally decided to ditch the proposals in a full plenary vote.
The plans, which formed part of the EU’s wide-ranging ‘roadworthiness package’, would have introduced costly MOT-style testing for many agricultural vehicles, including tractors and all livestock trailers.
Originally all ‘O2’ graded trailers, such as a normal livestock trailer towed behind a four wheel drive vehicle, would have been subject to MOT-style testing.
The NFU argued that while safety of vehicles on the road was important, what it called the "prescriptive and onerous testing of tractors and livestock trailers would be disproportionate, costly and bureaucratic". However, after months of lobbying, and backed by the Member State governments in the Council, the MoT-style testing of all livestock trailers will now not be needed.
NFU vice president Guy Smith said: "This is a fantastic result following the lobbying efforts by the NFU's office in Brussels and is a victory for common sense.
"We worked hard to explain to MEPs that imposing MoT tests on standard tractors and livestock trailers, used by thousands of farmers, would mean more needless red tape as well as increased costs in return for little safety benefit.
"The NFU advocates the use of the Farm Vehicle Health Check scheme and as an organisation is committed to ensuring the safety of all agricultural machines on the roads of Britain."
