These industry dust reference values are published in order to assist the seed treatment industry to continually achieve safe treatments. Seed treating companies have to assure that treated seed meets the industry dust reference values. It is noted that Member States may install legal dust limits different from the industry reference values.
ESTA assures that treated seeds that exceed the industry dust reference values or any legal requirements, if lower, shall not be put on the market.
The dust reference values that were developed by Euroseeds are listed below:
- Corn: 0.75g of dust/ 100 000 seeds
- Oilseed rape: 0.50g of dust/ 700 000 seeds
- Sugar beet: 0.25g of dust/ 100 000 seed pellets
- Sunflower: 0.40g of dust/ 75 000 seeds
- Cereals: 4 g of dust/100 kg
- Carrots, endives: 0.1 g of dust/100 000 seeds
- Onions: 0.2 g of dust/100 000 seeds
- Sweet corn: 0.75 g of dust/100 000 seeds
- Green and seeded beans: 0.4 g of dust/ 100 000 seeds
- Vegetable peas: 0.2 g of dust/100 000 seeds
- Cotton: 6 g of dust/100 kg.
The Euroseeds reference method Assessment of free floating dust and abrasion particles of treated seeds as a parameter of the quality of treated seeds is intended to assess the amount of free floating dust and abrasion particles of treated seeds under defined mechanical stress conditions.
Use of the dust test by industry laboratories, as described in the above-mentioned Euroseeds reference method ‘Assessment of free-floating dust and abrasion particles of treated seeds as a parameter of the quality of treated seeds’ asks for monitoring of the performance of the laboratory. This shall be done either by successfully participating in corresponding seed industry driven ring tests organized by a laboratory which is accredited to ISO 17025 by its national accreditation body for the Heubach dust analysis according to the Euroseeds reference method ‘Assessment of free floating dust and abrasion particles of treated seeds as a parameter of the quality of treated seeds’, or by a certification which confirms an appropriate application of the Heubach methodology delivered by an independent certifying body.
Seed samples that are sent to the laboratories for dust analysis can be split in two parts of 250 g each. Before the dust analysis the samples will be merged again so the Euroseeds reference method will be applied to 500 g +/- 5%.
The following laboratories have participated in the seed industry-driven ring test.
It is now the responsibility of each laboratory to inform their clients whether or not their participation in the ring test was successful.
