Registration as technical advisor to certify the Maltese Black Chicken

The state registration and licensing of individual experts as technical advisors in the breed standards for the Maltese Black Chicken is one of the functions of the Plant Protection Directorate in its mission to ensure that advisors who are serving farmers and other operators are competent to do so. This process serves as a mechanism to ensure a fair and level market, by imposing barriers that protect the intellectual property of registered license holders and safeguarding the interests of consumers making use of such advisory services.

The main aim of this service is to evaluate the competence of the individual expert to act as a state registered and licensed technical expert in the breed standards for the Maltese Black Chicken, by judging whether his/her qualification, experience, and capacity match the relevant requirements for the role.

As a result of this service, a number of technical advisors are recognised as licensed to serve farmers and other members of the business community in the breed standards for the Maltese Black Chicken, and to support them in their normal operations, as well as in accessing funds made available through the agri-environment-climate compensation schemes of the Rural Development Programme for Malta .

The service is provided through the Plant Protection Directorate in consultation with the Access and Benefit Sharing Advisory Committee (ABSAC)​ . The role of this Committee is to advise the Plant Protection Directorate as the competent authority in the implementation of the provisions of due diligence as laid down in the relevant regulations, as well as providing advice to the competent authorities on scientific, technical and other relevant matters upon request.