Cat Feeders Regulations, 2024

L.N. 168 of 2024

ANIMAL WELFARE ACT

(CAP. 439)

Cat Feeders Regulations, 2024

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 8 of the

Animal Welfare Act, the Minister responsible for veterinary services

has made the following regulations:-

The title of these regulations is the Cat Feeders

Regulations, 2024.

In these regulations unless the context otherwise requires

"Act" means the Animal Welfare Act;

"controller" means the official responsible designated in

accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European

Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection

of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data

and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive

95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation);

"Director" means the Director for Animal Welfare as

defined in the Act;

"feeder" means any person registered with the Local

Council who feeds and takes care of a colony of stray cats in

conformity with the Act;

"Local Council" means the respective Local Council as

established by article 3 of Local Government Act of the area

where the feeding takes place;

"Register" means a register of cat feeders kept by the Local

Council containing details in accordance with regulation 5;

"stray cat" means any cat of the species Felis catus which

does not have a home or that is not registered by means of a

microchip on a specific owner or keeper or is outside the bounds

of its owner's or keeper's household and that is not under the

control or direct supervision of any owner or keeper

Provided that any cats of the species Felis catus that

are microchipped under a Local Council are also considered stray

cats.

No person shall feed stray cats in a public area unless they Registration of

feeders.

are registered with the Local Council.

For the purposes of these regulations there shall be Designation of

designated two (2) controllers, one (1) designated by the Minister controllers.

responsible for veterinary services and another designated by the

Minister responsible for local government who shall act as controllers

separately and independently from each other.

(1) The Local Council shall keep a register of all feeders Register.

in a secure manner, which contains their respective feeding areas, the

number of colonies and the amount of cats in each respective colony

for the purpose of keeping record of the stray cats in the area and the

person taking care of the colony. A copy of the updated register shall

be sent to the Director on a biannual basis, during the first (1) week and

twenty-seventh (27) week of the calendar year.

(2) These regulations shall not prejudice the applicability of

Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the

Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with

regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of

such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection

Regulation) and the Data Protection Act, including the regulations Cap. 586.

made thereunder, and the fundamental rights and freedoms of the data

subjects.

(3) The controllers shall perform the relevant data processing

operations which are limited to the extent necessary and proportionate

to the objectives pursued by these regulations.

(4) The controller shall only process the personal data

contained in the register for the purpose of inspection, education and

enforcement of these regulations.

(5) For the purpose of sub-regulation (1), the processing of

personal data shall fully comply with all the principles relating to the

processing of personal data in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation

(EU) 2016/679.

(6) The controller, whilst taking into account the nature, scope,

context and purposes of processing as well as the risks of varying

likelihood and severity of the rights and freedoms of the data subjects,

shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures in

an effective manner and integrate the necessary safeguards into the

processing, in order to protect the rights of the data subjects and to

ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

(7) For the purposes of ensuring and of being able to

demonstrate compliance with all the principles relating to the

processing of personal data, the controller shall implement the

appropriate data protection policies, which policies shall be

periodically reviewed and updated where necessary.

(8) The data protection officer designated by the controller in

accordance with Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 shall be

involved and consulted in a timely manner on all issues in relation to

the protection of personal data processed for the purposes of these

regulations.

(1) Each feeder shall provide the Local Council with the

location of feeding of each colony by means of GPS coordinates of

each of their colonies, the number of cats in each colony, the number

of neutered cats, and if available the relative microchip details.

(2) When personal data is processed for the purposes of these

regulations, the Local Council shall collect data which is adequate,

relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for

which they are processed.

The Minister responsible for veterinary services, with the

concurrence of the Minister responsible for local government, may

issue guidelines or notices in the Gazette regarding the feeding of

stray cats in public areas.

Feeders shall ensure that the cats in their colony are in good

health and free from diseases and every effort should be made to ensure

that cats in the colony are neutered. The feeders shall inform the

Director immediately when there is a suspected sick cat and, or a

suspected disease outbreak.

Any person who breaches the provisions of these

regulations shall be liable to the imposition of a penalty of fifty euro

(€50) by the Director, which may be contested in accordance with the

provisions of the Commissioners for Justice Act.

€0.27