Bovine Animals and Swine (Amendment) Rules, 2010

L.N. 269 of 2010

MALTA VETERINARY SERVICES ACT

(CAP. 437)

Animal Health Problems Affecting Intra-Community Trade in

Bovine Animals and Swine (Amendment) Rules, 2010

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 8 of

the Veterinary Services Act, the Minister for Resources and Rural

Affairs has made the following rules:-

The title of these rules is the Animal Health Problems

Affecting Intra-Community Trade in Bovine Animals and Swine

(Amendment) Rules, 2010 and they shall be read and construed as

one with the Animal Health Problems Affecting Intra-Community

Trade in Bovine Animals and Swine Rules, 2004 hereinafter

referred to as “the principal rules”.

For paragraph (a) of sub-rule (2) of rule 6 of the principal

rules there shall be substituted the following:-

“(a) come from an officially tuberculosis-free bovine

herd, and in the case of animals more than six weeks old, have

reacted negatively to an intradermal tuberculin test carried out

in accordance with the provisions of point 2.2 of Schedule B

to these rules either during the 30 days prior to leaving the

herd of origin or in a place and under conditions to be defined

in accordance with the procedure referred to in regulation 17

of these rules:”.

Immediately after rule 6 of the principal rules there shall

be inserted the following new rule

The competent Authority shall designate

laboratories to institutes, national reference laboratories or official

be designated institutes responsible for coordinating the standards and

methods of diagnosis referred to in Schedules A to D to

these rules. It shall maintain updated lists thereof and

make them available to other Member States and to the

public. The tasks and responsibilities of such institutes,

national reference laboratories and official institutes

are set out in Schedules B and C and in Chapter II of

Schedule D to these rules. Detailed rules for the uniform

application of this rule may be adopted in accordance

with the procedure referred to in rule 17 of these rules.”.

4. For sub-rule (3) of rule 11 of the principal rules there

shall be substituted the following:-

“(3) The competent Authority shall issue an approval

number to each approved assembly centre. Approvals of

assembly centres may be limited to a particular species or

to animals for breeding and production or to animals for

slaughter. The competent Authority shall draw up and keep

updated a list of approved assembly centres and their approval

numbers and make it available to other Member States and to

the public.”.

5. Immediately after sub-rule (4) of rule 13 of the principal

rules, there shall be added the following sub-rule:-

“(5) The competent Authority shall draw up and keep updated

a list of approved dealers and registered premises used by dealers

in connection with their business and their approval numbers and

make that list available to other Member States and to the public.

Detailed rules for the uniform application of this sub-regulation

may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in

rule 17 of these rules.”.

6. Shedule B to the principal rules shall be amended as

follows:-

(a) for point 4.1 there shall be substituted the

following

“4.1. Tasks and responsibilities

Institutes, national reference laboratories or

official institutes designated by the competent Authority

in accordance with rule 6A of these rules shall be

responsible for the official testing of tuberculins or

reagents referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 respectively

in Malta to ensure that each of these tuberculins or

reagents is adequate in relation to the standards referred

to in point 2.1 and paragraph 3 respectively.”; and

(b) point 4.2 shall be deleted.

Schedule C to the principal rules shall be amended as Amends Schedule C

follows:-

(a) in point 4.1, for the words “National reference

laboratories shall be responsible for-” there shall be

substituted the words “National Reference Laboratories

designated by the competent Authority in accordance with

rule 6A of these rules shall be responsible for:”; and

(b) point 4.2 shall be deleted.

Under paragraph A of Chapter II of Schedule D to the

principal rules, for points 2 and 3 there shall be substituted the

following:-

“2. National reference laboratories designated by the

competent Authority in accordance with rules 6 of these rules

for coordinating standards and methods of diagnosis of the

tests for enzootic bovine leucosis shall be made responsible

for calibrating the standard working antigen of the laboratory

against the official EC standard serum (EI serum) provided

by the National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of

Denmark.

3. The standard antigens used in the laboratory shall

be submitted at least once a year to the national reference

laboratories designated by the competent Authority in

accordance with rule 6A of these rules, for testing against the

official EC standard serum. Apart from such standardisation,

the antigen in use may be calibrated in accordance with the

method described under paragraph B (Method for antigen

standardization).”.

€0.28