   AGRICULTURAL AND FISHING INDUSTRIES (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) ġ CAP. 146.          1
CHAPTER 146 
AGRICULTURE AND FISHING INDUSTRIES 
(FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) ACT
To authorise the provision of financial assistance to farmers and
fishermen and persons desiring to engage in the agricultural or fishing
industry.
28th January, 1956
ACT II of 1956, as amended by Acts XIII of 1956, VI of 1957;
Emergency Ordinance XIV of 1958; Ordinances VIII of 1960 and XXV of
1962; Legal Notices 4 of 1963 and 46 of 1965; and Act IX of 2002.
Short title.
Industries (Financial Assistance) Act.
Interpretation.
 "agricultural industry" means the business of growing crops,
cultivation of fruit-trees, and of breeding livestock;
"fishing industry" means the business of catching any description
of fish or shell-fish by means of fishing boats registered as such in
Malta;
"Malta" has the same meaning as is assigned to it by article 124
of the Constitution of Malta;
"person" includes a body of persons.
Financial 
assistance for the 
agricultural and 
fishing industries. 
Amended by: 
XIII. 1956.2; 
XIV.1958;
VIII. 1960.2; 
XXV. 1962.2; 
L.N. 4 of 1963.
3. (1)  Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Minister
responsible for the Department of Agriculture and the Department
of Fisheries, hereinafter referred to as "the Minister", may, with the
approval of the Minister responsible for finance, make
arrangements for the provision of financial assistance for persons
engaged in the agricultural or fishing industry and persons desiring
to engage therein, including in particular persons who have
previously been so engaged.
(2) Assistance may be given under this Act to any such persons
as aforesaid:
( a ) in regard to the agricultural industry, in connection
with the acquisition of livestock, machinery, tools,
implements, equipment, fodder, seeds, fertilizers,
insecticides, fungicides or any other thing which in the
opinion of the Minister is useful to the agricultural
industry, or in connection with the acquisition or
improvement of land or the improvement of animal
husbandry;
( b ) in regard to the fishing industry, in connection with the
acquisition of boats or equipment for use for the
purpose of the said industry, or in connection with the
improvement or reconditioning of such boats or
equipment;
  2        CAP. 146. ħ      AGRICULTURAL AND FISHING INDUSTRIES (FINANCIAL ASSIST-
( c ) in regard to both the agricultural and the fishing
industries, in connection with the repayment of any
sum which, before the coming into operation of this
Act, may have been borrowed for any of the purposes
specified in the two preceding paragraphs of this
subsection or in connection with the payment of any
sum which, before that date, was due for or in relation
with any of those purposes.
(3) Assistance as aforesaid shall be by way of loan. But, if the
Minister is satisfied that the object for which the assistance is
sought would effect an appreciable improvement in the industry, he
may authorize assistance to be given by way of grant, or partly by
way of loan and partly by way of grant, so however that the amount
of grant shall not exceed one-half of the price or expense involved. 
(4) Any sums required by the Minister for making grants or
loans in accordance with arrangements made under this section
shall be paid out of moneys appropriated for the purpose. 
Payment of 
principal and 
interest into 
Consolidated 
Fund. 
S ubstituted by: 
VIII. 1960.3. 
Amended by: 
L.N. 46 of 1965.
4. Any sums received in payment of the interest or in re-
payment of the principal in respect of any loan made under this
Act, and any sums which may be repaid in accordance with the
terms of any grant made under this Act, shall be paid into the
Consolidated Fund.
Statement to be 
laid  before House 
of Representatives. 
Added by: 
VIII. 1960.4. 
Substituted by: 
XXV. 1962.5. 
Amended by: 
L.N. 46 of 1965.
5. The Minister shall lay on the Table of the House of
Representatives, as soon as may be after the close of each financial
year, a statement showing the amounts of loans and of grants made
under this Act in the course of that year as well as the amounts
received in the course of that year as provided in article 4.
Other assistance .
Added by:
IX. 2002.20.
6. The Minister responsible for Agriculture and the Minister
responsible for Fisheries may, with the concurrence of the Minister
responsible for Finance, establish schemes and guarantee funds for
the purpose of providing financial and other forms of guidance or
assistance of any nature to the agricultural industry and to the
fishing industry.
Power to make 
regulations.
Added by:
IX. 2002.20.
7. The Minister responsible for Agriculture and the Minister
responsible for Fisheries may, with the concurrence of the Minister
responsible for Finance, make regulations for the purpose of
implementing the provisions of this Act and, without prejudice to
the generality of the foregoing, to provide:
( a ) for the establishment of any paying agency with the
function of administering any scheme or other measure
relating to any financial or other guidance or
assistance to be provided under this Act;
( b ) for the establishment and management of any schemes
and guarantee funds for the purpose of providing
financial and other forms of guidance or assistance of
any nature to the agricultural industry and to the
   AGRICULTURAL AND FISHING INDUSTRIES (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) ġ CAP. 146.          3
fishing industry under this Act;
( c ) for the standards to be observed by persons applying
for any financial or other guidance or assistance under
this Act;
( d ) for the measures to be taken to ensure compliance with
international and other standards relating to products
or equipment used in the agricultural industry or in the
fishing industry by persons applying for any financial
or other guidance or assistance under this Act;
( e ) for any matters that may be required for the purpose of
complying with any international obligation of Malta
relating to the agricultural industry or to the fishing
industry and involving schemes of financial assistance,
guarantees or guidance to any said industry;
( f ) for any matter related to the resolution of disputes
arising in connection with the operation of this Act
including the establishment of an appellate body and
the regulation of appeals from decisions taken under
this Act;
( g ) for enabling the Director of Agriculture or the Director
of Fisheries, as the case may be, to impose
administrative penalties or sanctions upon any person
acting in contravention of any of the provisions of this
Act or of any regulations made thereunder:
Provided that any administrative penalty
provided for by regulations made under this article
shall not exceed the sum of one thousand liri
(Lm1,000) for each offence and one hundred liri
(Lm100) for each day during which failure to observe
the provisions of this Act or of any regulations made
thereunder persists;
( h ) for providing that any person who contravenes any
provision of any regulations made under this Act shall
be guilty of a criminal offence:
Provided that any criminal offences provided for
in regulations made under this article shall not,
without prejudice to any higher punishment to which
the offender may be liable under any other law,
provide that upon conviction the offender shall be
liable to a fine ( multa ) of more than three thousand liri
(Lm3,000) or, in the case of a continuing offence, to a
further fine ( multa ) of three hundred liri (Lm300) for
each day during which the offence continues.
