Chapter 84 – Agricultural Returns Ordinance
What is this act about?
This law, called the Agricultural Returns Ordinance, facilitates the collection of agricultural statistics in Malta. It allows the Director of Agriculture to request specific information from owners of agricultural land, farmhouses, dairies, wineries, or canneries.
Who it applies to: Owners of agricultural land or farmhouses in Malta; Owners of dairies, wineries, or canneries in Malta.
At a glance
- Country
- Malta
- Area of law
- Labour law
- Articles
- 8
- Source
- legislation.mt
- Text retrieved
- Explanation updated
What does this act regulate?
- The collection of data on agricultural land use, crops, livestock, and labor.
- The collection of data on raw materials, labor, and equipment used in dairies, wineries, and canneries.
- The process for serving notices and delivering returns.
- The confidentiality of individual returns and their authorized uses.
Who does this act apply to?
- Owners of agricultural land or farmhouses in Malta.
- Owners of dairies, wineries, or canneries in Malta.
What are the key points?
- The Director of Agriculture can require returns within a specified time, not less than seven working days for agricultural land/farmhouses, and not less than fifteen working days for dairies, wineries, or canneries.
- "Agricultural land" includes various types of land and gardens, with specific area requirements: not less than one thousand one hundred and twenty-four square metres for gardens, and not less than seventeen square metres for glass-houses or polythene-houses.
- Individual returns cannot be used, published, or disclosed without the owner's authority, except for agricultural statistics or prosecution under this Ordinance.
- Failure to report a change of ownership within one month can result in a fine of not more than twenty-three euro and twenty-nine cents (23.29).
- Refusing to make a return, providing false information, or unauthorized disclosure of returns can lead to fines not exceeding four euro and sixty-six cents (4.66), or forty-six euro and fifty-nine cents (46.59) for willful offenses, or imprisonment for up to three months.
Labour law
Legal text
Legal text
A G R I C U LT U R A L R E T U R N S
CHAPTER 84
AGRICULTURAL RETURNS ORDINANCE * To facilitate the preparation of agricultural statistics. (8th January, 1935)† ORDINANCE I of 1935, as amended by Ordinances: XIX and XXII of 1935; Act XIX of 1949; Legal Notice 4 of 1963; Acts: XXIII of 1966, XXXIII of 1969; XLIX of 1981 and XIII of 1983; and Legal Notice 408 of 2007.
Art. 1
The short title of this Ordinance is the Agricultural Returns Ordinance.
Art. 2
In this Ordinance - "agricultural land" includes any grazing, meadow, pasture, fallow, or unproductive land, and any vineyard, oliveyard, or orchard and any fruit or kitchen garden having an area of not less than one thousand one hundred and twenty-four square metres, and any glass-house or polythene-house having an area of not less than seventeen square metres;
Short title.
Interpretation.
Amended by:
XIX.1949.2;
XXIII. 1966.2;
XXXIII. 1969.2. "farmhouse" includes any farmyard, cowshed, stable, piggery, and any sheep, goat or poultry run, and any other place where farm animals or poultry are usually kept; "owner" includes the occupier and any person having the management of any agricultural land or farmhouse, and "ownership" shall be construed accordingly.
Art. 3
Power to require returns.
Amended by:
XIX.1935.2;
XXII. 1935.2;
XIX. 1949.3;
XIII. 1983.5;
L.N. 408 of 2007.
A G R I C U LT U R A L R E T U R N S means employed and any other equipment used and all such other data concerning dairying, wine-making, and canning, and kindred industries in Malta as the Director of Agriculture may require.
Where the change of ownership occurs through the death of the previous owner, then the said report shall be made and the information shall be given as aforesaid by the new owner.
Service of notice.
Art. 4
Delivery of returns.
Amended by:
XIX. 1949.4
Art. 5
Any return in writing under this Ordinance may be delivered personally or sent by post free of postage to the person specified in the notice.
Non-disclosure of returns.
Amended by:
XXXIII. I969.3.
Art. 6
No individual return or part of a return made under this Ordinance shall be used, published or disclosed without the authority of the owner, except for the preparation and publication of agricultural statistics or of a prosecution under this Ordinance:
Provided that it shall be lawful for the Director of Agriculture to furnish to the Commissioner of Land any information contained in a return made under this Ordinance as may be required in order to establish the ownership or the nature of tenure of any agricultural land or farmhouse.
Power to make regulations.
Amended by:
XIX. 1949.5;
L.N. 4 of 1963.
Offences and penalties.
Amended by:
XLIX.1981.4:
XIII. 1983.5;
L.N. 408 of 2007.
Art. 7
The Minister responsible for agriculture may make, amend and repeal regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Ordinance. Without prejudice to the generality of the aforesaid provision, such regulations may provide for the production to the Director of Agriculture of such documents as may be specified therein.
Art. 8
If any person (a) refuses or without lawful excuse neglects to make a return required to be made under this Ordinance, to the best of his knowledge and belief; or (b) makes or causes to be made a return which is false in any particular; or A G R I C U LT U R A L R E T U R N S (c) uses, publishes, or discloses contrary to the provisions of this Ordinance any individual return or part of a return of which he is aware by reason of his office, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding four euro and sixty-six cents (4.66) or, if the court is of opinion that the offence was committed wilfully, to a fine not exceeding forty- six euro and fifty-nine cents (46.59) or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.