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Application for a certificate of competence in plant protection for the dispensing of plant protection products

Service Description

The competent authority will check whether you meet the requirements for acquiring expertise in plant protection. The requirements you must fulfill depend on the activity you wish to perform (e.g. dispensing plant protection products). If the necessary requirements are met, the applicant will receive a certificate recognizing their plant protection expertise. This certificate entitles the applicant to carry out the activity specified in the certificate of competence.

Plant protection expertise is required for

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

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

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

In order to obtain a certificate of competence, the relevant specialist knowledge and skills must be demonstrated for the application. This can be done via certain professional qualifications such as training as a farmer or gardener. If there is no relevant professional training, an alternative is the plant protection examination. This can be taken for the task area "Dispensing of plant protection products" (dealer) or "Application of plant protection products/advice on plant protection" (user, advisor).

The TLLLR conducts the examination to obtain plant protection expertise together with the examination board upon application and after prior registration. The examination is carried out 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 notification together with a notification of costs afterwards.

Process flow

The authority accepts the complete application documents and checks the information and the authenticity of the certificates and/or attestations. If all the requirements for the certificate of competence have been met, the authority issues the certificate of competence and a fee notice. Once payment has been received, the authority will send the certificate of competence to the person submitting the application.

The new certificate of competence (SKN) in card format has been required since 26.11.2015.

The application for this must be submitted online. (Please ask your friends or acquaintances for help if you cannot find your way around the internet). Further information can be viewed via the tile of the responsible federal state. The certificate of competence can be applied for with or without registration. Then fill in the mandatory fields with the applicant's details. After entering the security code, you will be taken to the application page. Enter the application type here. The application type "Dispensing" includes the sale of plant protection products. After confirming the required knowledge of German and accepting the privacy policy, you can upload your copies of certificates, such as an assistant's certificate or a certificate of competence. Finally, submit the application using the corresponding button. After submitting your data, a brief message will appear in the online portal to inform you whether your application has been successful. You will not receive a separate e-mail or further confirmation. It is not necessary to send the signed application by post.

Alternatively: If you are unable to upload the certificate yourself, send a copy by post to the relevant office.

Former experts (persons who acquired their expertise in the use of plant protection products before July 6, 2013) or new experts who graduated more than 3 years ago, proof of participation in a recognized training course on plant protection expertise is required in addition to the certificate. If all documents are complete, the application will be processed within 4 to 6 weeks. You will receive a notification and an invoice for 30 euros (40 euros for foreign certificates). It can take up to 2 months to send the certificate of competence card after payment. In addition to the application for a certificate of competence, you must take part in 4 hours of further training over a recurring 3-year period.

Registration for the examination is usually organized by the course provider. Further details can be obtained from them. 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 requested using the contact details below.

It is also possible to register privately (e.g. to retake the exam or take the exam without attending the course). In this case, please contact us to arrange an appointment. On request, we can also provide you with literature recommendations and tips for your exam preparation.

The examination consists of three parts: the written and oral theory and the practical part. The examination day begins for all participants together with the one-hour written examination (multiple choice) on specialist theory. The theoretical knowledge and practical skills must then be demonstrated in an individual interview lasting around half an hour.

If you pass all three parts of the examination with a grade of at least 4, you will be sent a 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. The failed part of the examination can be repeated twice within a period of two years from the announcement of the results. A new examination application must be submitted for this.

Who should I contact?

Please contact theThuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas.

Competent authority

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas

Requirements

You can prove your expertise

  • with a certificate of a recognized professional qualification (e.g. farmer, winegrower, gardener, etc.) or
  • a certificate of having successfully passed a certificate of competence examination (e.g. as part of a certificate of competence course) or
  • with a certificate of a recognized course of study, possibly in conjunction with an additional certificate (from universities, training institutions) or
  • with a valid certificate from another EU Member State for the sustainable use of pesticides.

If there are more than three years between the issue of the certificate and the application, a current certificate of further training must also be submitted.

The examination is carried out upon written application. It is necessary to arrange an appointment in advance, unless the course organizer is responsible for this.

Which documents are required?

  • Certificate of a recognized professional qualification or
  • Certificate of successful completion of an examination of professional competence or
  • Certificate of a recognized course of study, if applicable additional certificate (from universities, training institution) or
  • Certificate from another EU member state for the sustainable use of pesticides
  • If necessary, certified translation of the documents submitted
  • If applicable, informal confirmation of costs from the specified invoice recipient
  • If applicable, certificate of further specialist training
  • Truthfully and completely filled out application form
  • Identity card or other official photo ID (to be presented on the day of the examination)

What are the fees?

30.00 Euro

(40.00 euros for foreign certificates due to the higher examination costs)

The examination of plant protection expertise and the issuing of certificates are public services subject to a fee. The examination costs are to be borne by the applicant (Section 1.1 of the application form). Registration for the examination is binding and obliges the applicant to pay the examination fee as follows:

Acceptance of the 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?

If there are more than three years between the date of the certificate and the date of application, a current certificate of further training must also be submitted.

The application must be submitted in writing to the Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas, Department 23, at least 4 weeks before the examination date.

Processing duration

2-8 weeks

The result and notification of costs will be sent within two weeks of the examination date.

Legal basis

Applications / forms

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

Appeal

  • Online procedure possible: yes
  • Written form required: no

Application for examination of expertise for users and/or dispensers of plant protection products in accordance with Section 3 of the Plant Protection Expertise Ordinance

What else should I know?

We recommend attending a course to prepare for the examination. Courses are offered separately in Thuringia by various organizers for the areas of dealer or user/advisor. The preparatory course, which lasts several days, is not the same as an advanced training course in plant protection. An overview of the course dates and organizers for Thuringia can be found on the Thuringia pages of ISIP.

Separate registration with the respective organizer is required for participation in a course. There are additional costs for this.

The participant can withdraw at any time up to the start of the examination by written declaration without giving reasons. However, participants are requested to cancel in good time so that the examination place can be allocated elsewhere. If the participant is unable to attend the examination for important reasons (e.g. accident and sudden illness), a written declaration must be submitted immediately. In such cases, the examination is deemed not to have been taken. If an examinee does not cancel his or her registration before the examination day 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 shall be borne by the applicant.

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

After successfully passing the examination and before commencing the activity requiring expert knowledge, the plant protection certificate of competence in check card format should be applied for promptly with presentation of the certificate, as only this is valid as proof of expertise. Furthermore, every expert must regularly take part in a recognized further training event within a period of 3 years from the issue of the certificate of competence in order to maintain their competence.

Please note: The card is issued automatically after passing the certificate of competence test!
The application is available nationwide 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 exclusively for the purpose of organizing examinations, issuing certificates, administration and billing fees. They are subject to data protection. It will not be passed on to third parties.

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas (TLLLR)

Professionally released on

23.10.2020