S.L. 437.105 Art. 16Offences and penalties. in Malta is the Marsa. shall be by the the testing of Reference Malta; from cases is: duties: employed by: Sickness virus to the national reagents used Sickness procedures at methods of (f) of (g) 2. To Member 3. To a view to the 4. To laboratory for Epizootics concerning 1.

(1) Any person who fails to abide by these rules shall be guilty of an offence in terms of the Act and the provisions and measures of rule 3(2) and (3) shall apply to it.

(2) Any right given to the competent authority under these rules to apply all such necessary measures prescribed in rule 3(2) and (3) shall be given to the competent authority without prejudice to other criminal procedures which may be taken under the Act or any other law when a person commits an offence by failing to abide by these rules. SCHEDULE I

A. NATIONAL REFERENCE LABORATORY FOR AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS

The National Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness National Veterinary Laboratory situated in Abattoir Street, Albertown,

B. FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE NATIONAL REFERENCE LABORATORY FOR AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS

The National Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness responsible for coordinating the standards and diagnostic methods prescribed Community Reference Laboratory, for the use of reagents and for vaccines. To this end, such National Reference Laboratory:

(a) may provide diagnostic reagents to the Community Laboratory, when the latter so requests;

(b) shall control the quality of all diagnostic reagents used in

(c) shall arrange comparative tests periodically;

(d) shall hold isolates of African Horse Sickness virus confirmed in Malta;

(e) shall ensure the confirmation of positive results obtained.

SCHEDULE II A. COMMUNITY REFERENCE LABORATORY The Community Reference Laboratory for African Horse Sickness

Laboratorio de sanidad y producción animal, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 28110 Algete,

Madrid - España. B. THE FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMUNITY REFERENCE LABORATORY FOR AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS The Community reference laboratory has the following functions and 1. to coordinate, in consultation with the Commission, the methods in the Member States for diagnosing African Horse Sickness, specifically

(a) typing, storing and supplying strains of African Horse for serological tests and the preparation of antiserum;

(b) supplying standard sera and other reference reagents reference laboratories in order to standardize the tests and in each Member State;

(c) building up and maintaining a collection of African Horse virus strains and isolates;

(d) organizing periodical comparative tests of diagnostic Community level;

(e) collecting and collating data and information on the diagnosis used and the results of tests carried out in the Community; characterizing isolates of African Horse Sickness by the most up-to-date methods available to allow greater understanding of the epizootiology African Horse Sickness; monitoring developments in African Horse Sickness surveillance, epizootiology and prevention throughout the world.

assist actively in the diagnosis of African Horse Sickness outbreaks in States by receiving virus isolates for confirmatory diagnosis, characterization and epizootiological studies. facilitate the training or retraining of experts in laboratory diagnosis with harmonization of techniques throughout the Community. carry out a mutual and reciprocal exchange of information with the world African Horse Sickness designated by the International Office of (IOE), in particular with regard to developments in the world situation African Horse Sickness.

SCHEDULE III

CRITERIA FOR CONTINGENCY PLANS Contingency plans shall meet at least the following criteria: establishment of a crisis centre on a national level, which shall control measures in Malta; shall be provided of local disease control centres with adequate coordinate the disease control measures at a local level; detailed information shall be given about the staff involved in control skills and their responsibilities; local disease control centre must be able to contact rapidly persons or which are directly or indirectly involved in an outbreak; equipment and materials shall be available to carry out the disease control properly; detailed instructions shall be provided on action to be taken, including disposal of carcases, on suspicion and confirmation of infection or training programmes shall be established to maintain and develop skills in to develop administrative procedures; diagnostic laboratories shall have facilities for post-mortem examination, capacity for serology, histology, etc., and shall maintain the skills for (to that end arrangements should be made for rapid transportation of details on the quantity of African Horse Sickness vaccine estimated to be event of a reinstatement of emergency vaccination, shall be provided; provisions shall be made, to ensure the legal powers necessary for the implementation of the contingency plans.