diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index f973a9c12c..84d6e683ef 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -203,6 +203,8 @@
   
   59. 55. Added `+.IDate` method so that IDate + integer doesn't revert to `Date`, [#1528](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/1528); thanks @MichaelChirico for FR&PR.
 
+  60. Fixed test in `onAttach()` for when `Packaged` field is missing from `DESCRIPTION`, [#1706](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/1706); thanks @restonslacker for BR&PR.
+
 #### NOTES
 
   1. Updated error message on invalid joins to reflect the new `on=` syntax, [#1368](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/1368). Thanks @MichaelChirico.
diff --git a/R/onAttach.R b/R/onAttach.R
index fd15a48d8c..dd2ff732d1 100644
--- a/R/onAttach.R
+++ b/R/onAttach.R
@@ -1,13 +1,22 @@
 .onAttach <- function(libname, pkgname) {
-    # Runs when attached to search() path such as by library() or require()
-    if (interactive()) {
-        v = packageVersion("data.table")
-        d = read.dcf(system.file("DESCRIPTION", package="data.table"))[,"Packaged"]
-        dev = as.integer(v[1,3])%%2 == 1  # version number odd
-        packageStartupMessage("data.table ", v, if(dev) paste0(" IN DEVELOPMENT built ", d))
-        if (dev && (Sys.Date() - as.Date(d))>28) packageStartupMessage("**********\nThis development version of data.table was built more than 4 weeks ago. Please update.\n**********")
-        packageStartupMessage('For help type ?data.table or https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/wiki')
-        packageStartupMessage('The fastest way to learn (by data.table authors): https://www.datacamp.com/courses/data-analysis-the-data-table-way')
+  # Runs when attached to search() path such as by library() or require()
+  if (interactive()) {
+    v = packageVersion("data.table")
+    d = read.dcf(system.file("DESCRIPTION", package="data.table"), fields = c("Packaged", "Built"))
+    if(is.na(d[1])){
+      if(is.na(d[2])){
+        return() #neither field exists
+      } else{
+        d = unlist(strsplit(d[2], split="; "))[3]
+      }
+    } else {
+      d = d[1]
     }
+      
+    dev = as.integer(v[1,3])%%2 == 1  # version number odd
+    packageStartupMessage("data.table ", v, if(dev) paste0(" IN DEVELOPMENT built ", d))
+    if (dev && (Sys.Date() - as.Date(d))>28) packageStartupMessage("**********\nThis development version of data.table was built more than 4 weeks ago. Please update.\n**********")
+    packageStartupMessage('For help type ?data.table or https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/wiki')
+    packageStartupMessage('The fastest way to learn (by data.table authors): https://www.datacamp.com/courses/data-analysis-the-data-table-way')
+  }
 }
-