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Application for examination of expertise for plant protection product applicators and/or dispensers

Service Description

The plant protection certificate is required for

  • the application of plant protection products (except for appropriately labeled products for non-professional users in home gardens),
  • for advice on plant protection, and
  • for trade/dispensing (also online and mail-order trade).

The certificate of expertise (card) is also a prerequisite for the purchase of plant protection products from the professional sector.

Persons who are not considered knowledgeable can obtain the plant protection expertise by attending a course with a final examination and apply for the verification card with the examination certificate.

In order to obtain a certificate of expertise, appropriate professional knowledge and skills must be demonstrated for the application. On the one hand, this can be done by means of certain professional qualifications such as training as a farmer or gardener. If a relevant vocational training is missing, the plant protection expert examination is an alternative. This can be taken for the task area "dispensing of plant protection products" (trader) or "application of plant protection products/consulting on plant protection" (user, consultant).

The examination for obtaining the plant protection expertise is conducted by the TLLLR together with the examination board on application and after prior registration. The examination is held in accordance with the Plant Protection Expertise Ordinance and the Thuringian Ordinance on the Implementation of the Plant Protection Act, as amended.

You will be informed of the result orally on the day of the examination. You will receive a written decision together with a cost notification afterwards.

Process flow

Registration for the examination is usually organized by the course provider. Further details can be obtained there. You will be informed of the date and location of the examination at the latest at the start of the course and can also be enquired about using the contact details below.

It is also possible to register privately (e.g. for a repeat examination or examination without attending the course). In this case, please contact us to arrange an appointment. Upon request, we will also provide you with recommended literature and tips for your exam preparation.

The examination consists of three parts: written and oral theory and practice. The exam day begins for all participants together with the one-hour written exam (multiple choice) on the subject theory. This is followed by a one-on-one interview lasting about half an hour, in which the participants have to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

If you pass the examination with a grade of at least 4 in all three parts, you will receive your certificate together with the results and costs within the next two weeks.

If one or more parts of the examination have not been passed, you will also be informed of the result in writing. Within a period of two years from the announcement of the results, the failed part of the examination can be repeated twice. A new application for the examination must be submitted for this purpose.

Who should I contact?

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas

Competent authority

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas

Requirements

The examination is taken upon written request. It is necessary to arrange an appointment in advance, if this is not done by the course organizer.

Which documents are required?

  • truthfully and completely filled in application form
  • Identity card or other official photo ID (to be presented on the day of the examination)

What are the fees?

The taking of the plant protection certificate examination and the issuing of the certificate are public services for which a fee is charged. The examination costs are to be borne by the applicant (item 1.1 of the application form). Registration for the examination is binding and obligates the applicant to pay the examination fee as follows:

Taking of the certificate of competence examination: 30,00 €
Issue of the certificate: 7,00 €
Repeat examination: 20,00 €

Additional costs are incurred for participation in a training course.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

Registration must be made in writing to the Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas, Department 23, no later than 4 weeks before the examination date.

Processing duration

The result and the notification of costs will be sent within the next two weeks from the day of the examination.

Legal basis

Applications / forms

You can lodge an objection against this administrative act with the Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas based in Jena within one month of notification. The deadline is also met by timely receipt at a branch office of the State Office.

Appeal

Application for examination of expertise for plant protection product users and/or dispensers in accordance with § 3 of the Plant Protection Expertise Ordinance (Pflanzenschutz-Sachkundeverordnung)

What else should I know?

To prepare for the examination, we recommend attending a course. Courses are offered separately in Thuringia for the task areas trader or user/consultant by different organizers. The preparatory course lasting several days is not to be equated with a further training event in plant protection. An overview of the course dates and organizers for Thuringia can be found on the Thuringia pages of ISIP.

To participate in a course, a separate registration with the respective organizer is required. There are additional costs for this.

Up to the beginning of the examination the participant can withdraw at any time by written explanation without indication of reasons. However, it is requested to cancel in due time so that the examination place can still be allocated otherwise. If the participant cannot attend the examination for important reasons (e.g. accident and sudden illness), a written explanation must be submitted immediately. In these cases, the examination is considered not to have been taken. If a candidate does not sign off before the day of the examination and misses parts of the examination in whole or in part without sufficient written justification, the entire examination is deemed to have been failed. The costs are to be borne by the applicant.

In the event of failure, the examination may be repeated in accordance with § 4 (9, 10) PflSchSachkV. A new application is required.

After successfully passing the examination and before taking up activities requiring expert knowledge, the plant protection expert certificate in credit card format should be applied for promptly and submitted with the certificate, because only this certificate is valid as proof of expert knowledge. Furthermore, each expert must regularly participate in a recognized training event within a period of 3 years from the date of issue of the certificate of expertise in order to maintain his expertise.

Please note: The card is issued automatically after a passed expert examination!
Nationwide, the application is available at
www.pflanzenschutz-skn.de directly via the Internet. The examination certificate can be added to the online application in digital form.

Comments

Personal data is collected solely for the purpose of organizing examinations, issuing certificates, administration and billing fees. They are subject to data protection. The data will not be passed on to third parties.

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content per DeepL.

Technically approved by

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas (TLLLR)

Professionally released on

06.09.2021