S.L. 433.33 Art. 17Introduction into the Maltese territory and the Union of specified plants originating in a third country wherethespecified organism is not present. S.L. 433.03

Specified plants originating in a third country where the specified organism is not present may be introduced into the Maltese territory and the Union if the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the national plant protection organisation of the third country concerned has communicated in writing to the

Commission that the specified organism is not present in the country;

(b) the specified plants are accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, as referred to in regulation 15 of the Plant Quarantine (Harmful Organisms) Regulations, stating under the rubric ‘Additional Declaration’ that the specified organism is not present in the country;

(c) Plants for planting, other than seeds, of Coffea, Lavandula dentata L., Nerium oleander L., Olea europaea L., Polygala myrtifolia L., and Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb shall only be introduced into the Union if they have been grown in a site that is subject to annual official inspection, with sampling and testing carried out at the appropriate times on those plants for the presence of the specified organism and in accordance with international standards, confirming the absence of the specified organism, using a sampling scheme able to identify with 99% reliability the level of presence of infected plants of 5%. In addition, and prior to its first movement out of its production site and as close to the time of that movement as possible, each lot of plants for planting of Polygala myrtifolia L. shall be subjected to official visual inspection and sampling, as well as testing in line with international standards for the presence of the specified organism, confirming the absence of the specified organism, using a sampling scheme able to identify with 99% reliability a level of presence of infected plants of 5%;

(d) the professional operators and the non-professional final user being supplied with these specified plants shall also inform the Directorate by means of the Third Countries Notification Form available on the Directorate’s website forty-eight hours (48) prior to the arrival of the plant material in Malta;

(e) on entry into the Maltese territory the specified plants have been checked by the Directorate in accordance with regulation 19(2) and neither presence nor symptoms of the specified organism have been found.