Agricultural and forestry machinery

• Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 — agricultural and forestry vehicle type approval
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery for implements
• Regulation (EU) 2016/1628 — engine emissions
• Directive 2009/128/EC on sustainable use of pesticides for sprayers

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union placing tractors, self-propelled machines or implements on the EU market. Tractors are type-approved vehicles; mounted and trailed implements are machinery under Regulation 2023/1230, and the two regimes have different documentation.

Thresholds and exemptions

Type approval thresholds depend on the vehicle category. Implements have no threshold and follow the machinery route regardless of size.

What must appear on the label

For vehicles: the statutory plate with the type approval number, VIN, permissible masses and the manufacturer's details. For implements: CE marking, manufacturer and representative details, type and serial number, year of construction and the mass.

Marketplace fields

Dealers require the certificate of conformity for vehicles and the declaration of conformity for implements, because registration and insurance depend on them.

Documentation you must hold

Type approval documentation and certificates of conformity for vehicles, technical file and declaration of conformity for implements, engine emission approval documents, and for pesticide application equipment the documentation supporting the inspection regime.

Standards and testing

Type approval testing per Regulation 167/2013 including braking, roll-over protection and lighting; machinery testing per the applicable type C standards for implements; engine testing under Regulation 2016/1628; and EN ISO 16119 for sprayers.

Language requirements

Instructions and safety information in the language of the member state where the machine is placed on the market or put into service.

When it applies

Approval before placing on the market for vehicles. Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 applies to implements from 20 January 2027.

How long records are kept

Ten years for machinery documentation, and approval records per the approval framework.

What happens if you do not comply

Refusal of registration for vehicles, which prevents road use entirely, withdrawal for implements, and labour inspectorate action where power take-off guarding or roll-over protection is inadequate.

Who enforces it

National type approval authorities, market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates and environmental authorities for sprayers.

Where the boundary lies

Power take-off shafts and their guards are a persistent injury source and a persistent compliance failure, because they are often supplied by a third party and nobody documents them. Sprayers additionally fall under the pesticide use rules with mandatory periodic inspection in use.

Questions we are asked

Do implements need type approval?

No, mounted and trailed implements follow the machinery route with CE marking and a declaration of conformity. Self-propelled machines and tractors need type approval.

Are PTO guards our responsibility?

Yes where you place the assembly on the market. Guarding is part of the risk assessment and its absence is one of the most cited findings in farm accident investigations.