IMPORTED STORE CATTLE (WEIGHING) ACT * (weighing)

CHAPTER 143

IMPORTED STORE CATTLE (WEIGHING) ACT *

To make provision for establishing the fair weight of store cattle on

importation.

(22nd July, 1955) †

ACT XXIII of 1955, as amended by Act XIII of 1983 and VIII of 1990;

and Legal Notice 409 of 2007.

The short title of this Act is the Imported Store Cattle

(Weighing) Act.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -

"importer" in respect of any store cattle imported into Malta,

means the person who on the date of importation is the holder of a

licence from the Director of Agriculture authorising him to import

the cattle;

"Malta" has the same meaning as is assigned to it by article 124

of the Constitution of Malta;

"person" includes any partnership, firm, company, or other

association of persons;

"store cattle" means any animal of the bovine genus intended for

slaughtering whether at or about the time of importation or after a

period of fattening.

All cattle imported into Malta shall be deemed to be store

cattle unless the importer thereof proves the contrary to the

satisfaction of the Director of Agriculture.

(1) No imported store cattle may be sold or otherwise

disposed of except on a basis of the live weight thereof.

(2) No imported store cattle shall be weighed for purposes of

assessing import duty on same or officially for any other purpose

unless the animal or animals has or have been deprived of all food

and liquid for a continuous period of not less than twenty-four

hours following disembarkation, provided that the weighing shall

be effected as soon as may be after the expiration of the said

twenty-four hours.

Any infringement of the provisions of article 4 shall

constitute an offence punishable on conviction by a Court of

Magistrates as follows hereunder

(a) in respect of a first offence against the provisions of

article 4 by a fine (multa) of from fifty-eight euro and

twenty-three cents (58.23) to one hundred and sixteen

euro and forty-seven cents (116.47);

*This Act has been repealed by Act XXXIV of 2023.

†See Government Notice No. 378 of 25th July, 1955.

(b) in respect of a second offence against the said

provisions by a fine (multa) of from one hundred and

sixteen euro and forty-seven cents (116.47) to two

hundred and thirty-two euro and ninety-four cents

(232.94);

(c) in respect of a third or subsequent offence against the

said provisions, to imprisonment for from one to three

months, and to disqualification from being an importer

of cattle for six months from date of conviction,

without prejudice to any confirmed order authorised

under a permit issued previously to that date, in which

case, however, the said disqualification shall be

effective in respect of any other order as from the date

of conviction until the end of six months reckoned

from the date of arrival in Malta of the consignment

made as a result of that confirmed order or of the last

of such orders if more than one.

For the purposes of this Act -

(a) the provision contained in article 24 of the Criminal

Code shall apply; and

(b) where a person convicted of an offence against any of

the provisions of this Act forms part of an association

of persons, every person who, at the time of the

commission of the offence was a director or officer of

that association shall be deemed to be guilty of that

offence unless he proves that the offence was

committed without his knowledge or that he exercised

all due diligence to prevent the commission of the

offence.