S.L. 437.78 чл. 5Identification marks of animals.

(1) In furtherance of the provisions of the rules, the following general principles shall be complied with:

(a) identification marks shall be applied before animals leave the holding of birth;

(b) no mark may be removed or replaced without the permission of the competent authority: Provided that, where a mark has become illegible or has been lost, a new mark shall be applied in accordance with this rule;

(c) the keeper shall record any new mark in the register referred to in rule 4 in order to establish a link with the previous mark applied to the animal.

(2) Animals shall be marked as soon as possible, and in any case before they leave the holding, with an ear-tag and, or tattoo making it possible to determine the holding from which they came and enabling reference to be made to any accompanying document which shall mention such ear-tag or tattoo and to the list referred to in rule 3(1)(a).

(3) The competent authority may delegate its competence to verify the application of identification marks referred in sub-rules

(1) and (2) to persons or entities it deems suitable to carry out such activity subject to the same authority’s scrutiny.

(4) The competent authority may, by derogation from the second sub-paragraph of Article 3(1)(c) of Directive 90/425/EEC, apply national systems for all movements of animals in Malta. Such system shall enable the holding from which they came and the holding on which they were born to be identified. The competent authority shall notify the Commission of the systems which it intends to introduce for this purpose. In accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 18 of Directive 90/425/EEC, the competent authority may be asked to make amendments to the system where such system does not fulfil the requirement referred to in the said Article of Directive 90/425/EEC.

(5) Animals bearing a temporary mark identifying a consignment shall be accompanied throughout their movement by a document which enables the origin, ownership, place of departure and destination to be determined.