Club of bologna proceedings

particularly in respect of the availability of 
information on improved tillage systems. They 
emphasised
the need for more widespread 
dissemination of information to developing 
countries and for practical field demonstration 
campaigns to be organised. In some 
circumstances introduction of government 
policies to promote more frequent replacement of 
outdated tillage equipment would be appropriate 
and would encourage introduction of more 
advanced tillage systems to the benefit of farmers 
and the manufacturers.
2. Official testing and evaluation of tractors 
and implements: a tool to assist farmers in 
assessing performance, safety and 
environmental protection. 
Keynote reports on this topic were presented by 
H. 
Takahashi
(Japan), H.H. 
Bertram
(Germany) and S. 
Liberatori
(Italy). The subject 
was chosen in the light of recent developments in 
this sector in Europe. The aim was to identify a 
common approach to the development of testing 
and evaluation facilities for tractors and 
machinery in a period characterised by increasing 
market globalisation. 
All the speakers agreed on the importance of 
certification. H.
 Takahashi
discussed the formal 
testing of tractors as carried out in Japan whilst 
H.H.
 Bertram
and S.
 Liberatori
covered the 
testing of agricultural implements in Europe. To 
date testing of agricultural implements and 
equipment other than tractors has only been 
undertaken in some countries and only on a 
voluntary basis with the results only being valid in 
the country where the tests were carried out. This 
is not the case for tractors, which are tested 
under standardised procedures agreed both 
nationally and internationally through the OECD. 
The recent successful initiative to set up 
European Network of agricultural implement and 
machinery testing centres (ENTAM) was 
described. Currently the 7 countries involved 
have decided to harmonise their standard testing 
procedures for various machines and 
components in order to assure mutual recognition 
of their national certifications. In this way the 
certifications acquire international validity for all 
the countries belonging to the network. 
The tests carried out concentrate on the 
performance, safety and durability of each 
machine as well as providing an assessment of 
the environmental impact of its use. This 
information is also of great interest to 
manufacturers, who on the basis of the test 
results obtained have the opportunity of 
improving their products both technically, 
functionally and from the safety and 
environmental point of view. 
After in depth discussions, the participants 
stressed
the importance of carrying out tests on 
implements and machinery as well as on tractors, 
in order to provide farmers and contractors with 
a clear, impartial comparative assessment of each 
machine's performance, to assist in purchase 
decisions. Furthermore, in view of the 
progressive globalisation of markets, the