Relevance Data collection comprises pesticide sales in Malta. The Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) is the competent authority in Malta concerning the authorisation and control in relation to dealing, advertising, and use of any plant protection product, biocidal product, or any other active substances intended for use in any plant protection and/or biocidal product. Data are compiled according to Regulation (EC) No. 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 25 November 2009, concerning statistics on pesticides which establishes a common framework for the systematic production of community statistics on the placing on the market and use of those pesticides. Methodological description The NSO obtains the list of plant protection products and the associated active substances that were authorised for sale during the respective reference year from the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA). Data are then collected through an online survey (via email) where the total amount of kilograms and/or litres sold of every product is collected from the known local traders. Then, by using the composition in weight, the total amount of active substance sold for each product is calculated. Accuracy and reliability of data Data are checked with past data for consistency. In case large discrepancies emerge in the amount of pesticides sold, the respective trader is contacted again to verify the figures. These measures ensure that the overall accuracy of agri-environmental indicator (AEI) statistics is high. Timeliness and punctuality of data At a national level, no news release is published. Data are compiled and transmitted to Eurostat within the stipulated timeframe. Accessibility and clarity of data Aggregated sales data of the main groups of plant protection products are included in the selected agriculture indicators. In addition, data can be downloaded from Eurostat’s online database. A metadata report is produced at a national level and is available on the NSO’s metadata website. Coherence and comparability / consistency of data The data are collected at NUTS 2 level and are comparable to the data of other countries due to the adoption of common methodological guidelines. On a local level, data are comparable from 2011 onwards. Metadata | 
