S.L. 437.58 Art. 9Self-monitoring and co- responsibility on the part of operators.

(1) Malta shall ensure that:

(a) any farms which place farm animals on the market and any natural or legal person engaged in trade in such animals register beforehand with the competent authorities and undertake to abide by the relevant Community and national rules, in particular the provisions laid down in Articles 5 and 12 of Directive 90/425/EEC;

(b) the owners or persons in charge of the establishment of initial processing of primary products of animal origin take all necessary measures, in particular by carrying out their own checks, to:

(i) accept - whether by direct delivery or through an intermediary - only those animals for which the producer is able to guarantee that withdrawal times have been observed;

(ii) satisfy themselves that the farm animals or products brought into the establishment:

(1) do not contain residue levels which exceed maximum permitted limits;

(2) do not contain any trace of prohibited substances or products;

(c) (i) the producers or persons in charge referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) place on the market only:

(1) animals to which no unauthorized substances or products have been administered or which have not undergone illegal treatment within the meaning of these rules;

(2) animals in respect of which, where authorized products or substances have been administered, the withdrawal periods prescribed for these products or substances have been observed;

(3) products derived from the animals referred to in sub-paragraphs (1) and (2);

(ii) where an animal is presented at a first-stage processing establishment by a natural or legal person other than the producer, the obligations laid down in sub-paragraph (i) are incumbent on the latter.

(2) For the purposes of applying sub-rule (1), Malta shall ensure, without prejudice to compliance with the rules laid down in the Directives governing the placing on the market of the various products in question, that:

(a) the principle of quality monitoring of the production chain by the different parties involved is established in its legislation,

(b) the self-monitoring measures to be included in the specifications for trade marks or labels are stepped up. It shall inform the Commission and the other Member States, at [

their request, of provisions laid down in this regard and in particular of provisions adopted for checks on sub-rule (1)(c)(i)(1) and (2).