Cap. 433 Art. 3Plant Health Service.

(1) The Authority shall be responsible for the Plant Health Service and to administer and enforce the provisions of this Act.

(2) The Plant Health Service shall -

(a) inspect growing plants, areas under cultivation, and plants and plant products in storage or locally in transit, in order to report the existence, outbreak and spread of plant pests and to control plant pests;

(b) in respect of consignments of plant materials moving in international traffic -

(i) inspect the said consignments and, where appropriate, inspect consignments of other articles and commodities moving in international traffic under conditions where they may act incidentally as carriers of plant pests;

(ii) inspect and supervise storage and transport facilities of any kind, particularly with the object of preventing the dissemination of plant pests across national boundaries;

(iii) disinfest or disinfect consignments of plants and plant products, as well as their containers, packaging, storage places or transport facilities;

(c) determine the percentage of inspection checks to be carried out;

(d) issue phytosanitary certificates or plant passports;

(e) authorise nurseries to issue plant passports in accordance with regulations prescribed under this Act;

(f) periodically update and disseminate lists of plant material, plant pests and beneficial organisms the importation of which into Malta is prohibited or restricted;

(g) distribute information within Malta about pests of plants and plant products and how to prevent and control them;

(h) promote integrated pest management and control in Malta;

(i) conduct research and surveys in the field of plant protection;

(j) administer and enforce the provisions of this Act; and

(k) attend to such matters as the Authority may prescribe.