Regulatory Alert: Large Scales Need NTEP Certificate of Compliance
Last week the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Weights and Measures sent letters to all companies with large scales. IDA is asking all companies with large scales to submit a National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) Certificate of Conformance (COC) in order to be in compliance with the Illinois Weights and Measures Act. The weights & measures statute and regulations have always stated that "For a weighing or measuring device to be certified for use in the State of Illinois, it must have a Certificate of Conformance issued by the National Conference on Weights and Measures." The IDA estimates that there are approximately 7300 large scales in Illinois, and as many as 1660 do not have a current COC.
Depending on the date your scales were installed, most companies should be able to provide a COC by following the instructions in the letter from IDA. There are also reference guides posted at www.ifca.com to help you determine if your scale can get a COC, click here http://ifca.com If you are unable to provide a COC for your scales, then there is a good chance they will need to be upgraded or replaced. Once the industry responds to IDA and we can ascertain how many scales exist that cannot get a COC, IFCA will work with IDA to establish a compliance schedule that is reasonable for the industry; the Grain & Feed Association of Illinois is also involved with IFCA on this effort. To view the Illinois Weights & Measures Regulations, click on the following link
On a related subject, the issue of flow meters also remains active. While the letter from IDA is targeted at getting large scales into compliance, the NTEP standards also apply to flow meters if they are used to measure and sell product. Some older vane or paddle type meters may not be able to get a COC. IFCA is also working with IDA on this issue and we will continue to keep you informed. For now the focus is on large scales but please realize that unless you are weighing metered product over a truck scale before you sell it, flow meters will also need to be updated to meet NTEP standards.
If you have any questions regarding enforcement of this regulation, please contact the IFCA office. We will keep you informed as we continue to work with IDA on this issue. Our goal is to ensure compliance in the industry in a fair and reasonable manner taking cost, logistics and expections into consideration.