Criteria for the Recognition of Breeders’ Organizations and Associations which maintain or establish Herd-books for Pure-bred Breeding Animals of the Bovine Species Regulations, 2003 (L.N. 308 of 2003)

L.N. 308/03 of 2003 VETERINARY SERVICES ACT, 2001 (ACT NO. XXIII OF 2001) Criteria for the Recognition of Breeders' Organisations and Associations which maintain or establish Herd-books for Pure-bred Breeding Animals of the Bovine Species Regulations, 2003 IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 34(a) of the Veterinary Services Act, the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment has made the following regulations: Title and Scope. 1. (1) The title of these regulations is the Criteria for the Recognition of Breeders’ Organisations and Associations which maintain or establish Herd-books for Pure-bred Breeding Animals of the Bovine Species Regulations, 2003. (2) The scope of these regulations is to implement the provisions found under European Union Commission Decision 84/247/EEC on the criteria for the recognition of breeders’ organisations and associations which maintain or establish herd-books for pure-bred breeding animals of the bovine species. This Decision finds its legal basis under European Union Council Directive 77/504/EEC, article 6, second and third indents. Official authorisation 2. In order to be officially recognised, a breeders' organisation or association which maintains or establishes herd-books must submit an application to the authorities of Malta or of the Member State on whose territory its headquarters are situated. Refusal of Authorisation 3. When of Malta as a Member State is concerned by the procedure laid down in regulation 2, the authorities of the territory of Malta must grant official recognition to any breeders' organisation or association which maintains or establishes herd-books on its territory if the latter meet the conditions laid down in the Schedule here to: Provided that where in respect of a given breed one or more officially recognised organisations or associations already exists, the authorities may refuse to recognise a new breeders' organisation or association if it endangers the preservation of the breed or jeopardises the zootechnical programme of the existing organisation or association. In such a case, the authorities shall inform the European Commission of approvals granted and refusals to give recognition. Withdrawal official recognition from breeders’ organisation or association which maintains herd-books 4. When Malta as a Member State is concerned by the procedure laid down in regulation 2, the authorities of the territory of Malta shall withdraw official recognition from any breeders’ organisation or association which maintains herd-books if the conditions laid down in the Schedule are no longer being fulfilled in a persistent manner by the breeders’ organisation or association concerned. SCHEDULE In order to be officially recognised, a breeders' organisation or association which maintains or establishes a herd-book must: 1. Have legal personality in accordance with the legislation in force in the territory of Malta where the application is made; 2. Prove to the competent authorities: (a) that it operates efficiently; (b) that it can carry out the checks necessary for recording pedigrees; (c) that it has a sufficiently large herd to carry out a breed improvement programme, or that it has a sufficiently large herd to preserve the breed where this is considered necessary; (d) that it can make use of the livestock performance data necessary for carrying out its breed improvement or preservation programme; 3. Have a set of rules covering: (a) the definition of the breed's (or breeds') characteristics; (b) the system for identifying animals; (c) the system for recording pedigrees; (d) the definition of its breeding objectives, (e) the systems for making use of livestock performance data, (f) the division of the herd-book, if there are different conditions for entering animals or if there are different procedures for classifying the animals entered in the book; 4. Have rules of procedure, adopted in accordance with its articles of association, laying down, in particular, the principle of non-discrimination between members.