Current standards on agriculture and forestry
Rooted in fertile soil
Austria is deeply tied to nature. The forestry industry is the country’s second biggest economic sector after tourism. Soil quality is a value given top priority. The green Alpine country again and again provides innovative input to international standardisation.
Soil is a finite resource required for human life. Therefore, international standardisation deals with soil quality, fertilisers and soil improvement. A European Soil Framework Directive is under discussion, while Austria already sets standards for itself.
After all, food quality strongly depends on soil quality, and popular organic food is closely linked to the long-term stability of soil properties.
- Credit: ASI prm
Examination methods
ÖNORM standards mainly focus on testing methods for chemical analyses.
However, special topics that are not on the international agenda as yet already have their place in standardisation. Forests, artificial vegetation layers and guidelines for green roofs are already covered by specifications in Austria.
Specific Austrian soil standards:
ÖNORM L 1210: Artificial vegetation base layers
ONR 121131: Planning, implementation and maintenance of green roofs
ÖNORM L 1059: Sampling of forest soils
- Credit: www.sxc.hu
Compost
Another highly specialised field of work is compost. The Federal Compost Ordinance defines the quality of biogenic materials. The spreading of compost is governed by regional legislation. Related standards provide a tool for testing input materials, checking successful processing and classifying final products.
Compost in standardisation:
ÖNORM S 2122: Soils from waste (4 parts)
ÖNORM S 2206: Quality assurance systems for compost (2 parts)
- Credit: ASI prm
Agricultural machines
But it is not only soil quality that counts in agriculture. Tractors and other agricultural machines roll across farmed land. Compliance with international regulations, such as the European Machinery and Machinery Safety Directives, is a matter of course.
Moreover, international standards also apply to this field - with a few small additions as steep mountains and traditional practices are reflected in standardisation.
Agricultural machinery - special cases:
ÖNORM L 5233: Parking brake tests for vehicles and machines used in mountainous regions
ÖNORM M 9619: Testing of agricultural grab machines
- Credit: ASI prm
Wood and timber
Wood and timber are products that have a long tradition in Austria. Wood processing, timber quality and good products are of great concern to economic actors and, thus, also to standardisers.
Austria plays a leading role in the standardisation of wooden materials and was the first European country to prepare standards for composite materials. In the measurement of sawn wood, the trend goes away from visual inspection to mechanical procedures. The Austrian tensile loading test method for structural timber and lamellas will be promoted at the European level.
Timber standardisation:
Wood plastic composites
ÖNORM B 3030: ... - terminology
ÖNORM B 3031: ... - material characteristics and test methods
ÖNORM B 3032: ... - product characteristics
ÖNORM L 1021: Measurement of round timber
ÖNORM B 4125: Tensile loading test method
- Credit: ASI PRM
Products of organic farming
Agriculture and forestry set high standards in Austria. However, a line has to be drawn to the products of organic farming: They are not a matter of standardisation, but rather of quality labels specified and awarded by organisations that can rely on the quality of standards.
