diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index 3da38a5d..424c0d0f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 Changelog for cfgrib
 ====================
 
+0.9.10.3 (2022-xx-xx)
+---------------------
+
+- Replaced ``distutils.version`` py ``packaging.version`` and
+  added description and url to the xarray plugin.
+  See `#318 <https://github.com/ecmwf/cfgrib/pull/318/>`_.
+
+
 0.9.10.2 (2022-10-04)
 ---------------------
 
diff --git a/cfgrib/xarray_plugin.py b/cfgrib/xarray_plugin.py
index d30a3b93..1b6e5c82 100644
--- a/cfgrib/xarray_plugin.py
+++ b/cfgrib/xarray_plugin.py
@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 import os
 import pathlib
 import typing as T
-from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
 import numpy as np
 import xarray as xr
+from packaging.version import Version
 
-from . import abc, dataset, messages
-
-if LooseVersion(xr.__version__) <= "0.17.0":
+if Version(xr.__version__) <= Version("0.17.0"):
     raise ImportError("xarray_plugin module needs xarray version >= 0.18+")
 
 from xarray.backends.common import AbstractDataStore, BackendArray, BackendEntrypoint
 
+from . import abc, dataset, messages
+
 # FIXME: Add a dedicated lock, even if ecCodes is supposed to be thread-safe
 #   in most circumstances. See:
 #       https://confluence.ecmwf.int/display/ECC/Frequently+Asked+Questions
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ def get_encoding(self) -> T.Dict[str, T.Set[str]]:
 
 
 class CfGribBackend(BackendEntrypoint):
+    description = "Open GRIB files (.grib, .grib2, .grb and .grb2) in Xarray"
+    url = "https://github.com/ecmwf/cfgrib"
+
     def guess_can_open(
         self,
         store_spec: str,