Cap. 437 Art. 16Importation of live animals and products of animal origin.

(1) The Customs Department shall not authorise the release, for free circulation in Malta, of live animals or products of animal origin, including the products listed in the First Schedule, imported into Malta, unless it is satisfied that the requirements laid down in this article have been complied with.

(2) The Minister may, with the concurrence of the Minister responsible for Customs, prescribe rules concerning the organisation and the action to be taken following the inspection of live animals; and the action to be taken following the inspection of products of animal origin.

(3) The Director may order that immediate emergency measures be taken, and shall establish direct contact with the persons, organisations or administrations concerned in Malta or abroad where -

(a) in a third country, any of the diseases referred to in the list of notifiable terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases issued by the World Organization for Animal Health, a zoonosis or other disease, or any other circumstance liable to present a serious threat to animal or public health, manifests itself or spreads; or

(b) any other serious animal health or public health reason so warrants, in the light of findings of the veterinary experts of a trading partner or on the basis of the inspections carried out at a border inspection post of a trading partner; or

(c) any one of the inspections provided for in this article indicates that any consignment of live animals or products of animal origin, including the products listed in the First Schedule, is likely to constitute a danger to animal or human health.

(4) The Minister may by regulations prescribe the manner in which costs relating to the measures prescribed in subarticle (2) shall be borne by the consignor or his representative or by the person responsible for the animals or products of animal origin.

(5) The Minister may prescribe the frequency of veterinary inspections relating to importations, from third countries, of live animals and products of animal origin, including the products listed in the First Schedule.

(6) The Minister may prescribe regulations for the approval of border inspection posts situated in Malta, and for the suspension, for reasons related to public or animal health, of the said border inspection posts.