S.L. 437.50 Art. 2Definitions. Cap. 437.

For the purposes of these rules -"animal of a susceptible species" means any domestic or wild animal of the suborders Ruminantia, Suina, and Tylopoda of the order For specific measures, notably in application of Artiodactyla. rule 16(4), rule 15 and rule 75(2), other animals, such as for example of the order Rodentia or Proboscidae, may be considered susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease in accordance with scientific evidence; "animal suspected of being contaminated" means any animal of a susceptible species which, according to the epidemiological information collected, may have been directly or indirectly exposed to the foot-and-mouth disease virus;

"animal suspected of being infected" means any animal of a susceptible species exhibiting clinical symptoms or showing post-mortem lesions or reactions to laboratory tests which are such that the presence of foot-and-mouth disease may reasonably be suspected;

"authorisation" means a written authorisation given by the competent authorities, of which the necessary copies must be available for subsequent inspections in accordance with the

*These rules have been repealed by Legal Notice 77 of 2025. appropriate legislation in Malta;

"case of foot-and-mouth disease" or "animal infected with foot-and-mouth disease" means any animal of a susceptible species or carcass of such animal in which foot-andmouth disease has been officially confirmed, taking into account the definitions in Schedule I, either on clinical symptoms or post-mortem lesions consistent with foot-and-mouth disease have been officially confirmed, or as the result of a laboratory examination carried out in accordance with Schedule XIII;

"Community antigen and vaccine bank" means appropriate premises designated in accordance with these rules for the storage of Community reserves of both concentrated inactivated antigen of the foot-and-mouth disease virus for the production of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines and veterinary immunological products (vaccines) reconstituted from such antigens and authorised in accordance with European Council Directive 2001/82/EC relating to veterinary medicinal products;

"the competent authority" means the Veterinary Services within Malta as provided under article 2 of the Veterinary Services Act, or any other authority to which such responsibility has been delegated by the Veterinary Services; "emergency slaughter" means the slaughter in emergency cases within the meaning of Article 2(7) of European Council Directive 93/119/EEC of animals which on the basis of epidemiological data or clinical diagnosis or results of laboratory testing are not considered infected or contaminated with the foot-and-mouth disease virus, including slaughter for reasons of animal welfare;

"emergency vaccination" means vaccination in accordance with rule 48(1);

"herd" means an animal or group of animals kept on a holding as an epidemiological unit; if more than one herd is kept on a holding, each of these herds shall form a distinct unit and shall have the same health status; "holding" means any agricultural or other premises, including circuses, located in Malta where animals of susceptible species are being bred or kept on a permanent or temporary basis. However, for the purpose of rule 10(1), this definition does not include living areas for humans on such premises, unless animals of susceptible species, including those referred to in rule 75(2), are kept on a permanent or temporary basis therein, slaughterhouses, means of transport, border inspection posts or fenced areas where animals of susceptible species are kept and may be hunted, if such fenced areas are of a size which makes the measures provided for in rule 10 inapplicable; "incubation period" means the length of the time between infection and the occurrence of clinical signs of foot-and mouth disease. Namely, for the purposes of these rules, fourteen days for bovine and porcine animals, and twenty-one days for ovine and caprine animals and any other animal of susceptible species; "killing" means any process which causes the death of an animal; "Member State" means a State which is a Member within the European Community; "official veterinarian" means the veterinarian designated by the competent authority of Malta; "outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease" means a holding where animals of susceptible species are kept, which meets one or more of the criteria set out in Schedule I; "owner" means any person or persons, either natural or legal, having ownership of an animal of a susceptible species, or charged with keeping such animals, whether or not for financial reward;

"primary case of foot-and-mouth disease in wild animals" means any case of foot-and-mouth disease which is detected in a wild animal in an area in which no measures are in place in accordance with rule 75(3) or (4); "primary outbreak" means an outbreak not epizootiologically linked with a previous outbreak in the same region of Malta as defined in Article 2 of European Council Directive 64/432/EEC or the first outbreak in a different region of Malta; "processing" means one of the treatments for high risk material laid down in European Council Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002, and any implementing legislation thereof, applied in such a way as to avoid the risk of spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus;

"protective vaccination" means emergency vaccination carried out on holdings in a designated area in order to protect animals of susceptible species within this area against airborne spread or spread through fomites of foot-and-mouth disease virus and where the animals are intended to be kept alive following vaccination;

"region" means that part of the territory of Malta which is at least 2,000 square kilometres in area and which is subject to inspection by the competent authority; "regionalisation" means the delimitation of a restricted zone in which restrictions are applied on the movements of or trade in certain animals or animal products as provided for in rule 43 in order to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease into the free zone where no restrictions are applied in accordance with these rules; "sub-region" means an area specified in the Annex to European Council Decision 2000/807/EC; "suppressive vaccination" means emergency vaccination which is carried out exclusively in conjunction with a stamping-out policy in a holding or area where there is an urgent need to reduce the amount of foot-and-mouth disease virus circulating and to reduce the risk of it spreading beyond the perimeters of the holding or the area and where the animals are intended to be destroyed following vaccination; "wild animal" means an animal of a susceptible species living outside any holding or premises referred to in rules 15 and 16. CHAPTER II Control of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease