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 is collected 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 two datasets from the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) on an annual basis. The first contains the list of active substances that could be sold in Malta, and the second one contains the list of recognized importers in Malta. Data is then collected through an online survey (via email) where the total amount of kilograms and/or litres sold of every product is collected from all recognized importers. 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 is checked with past data for consistency. In case large discrepancies emerge in the amount of pesticides sold, the importers are 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 is transmitted to Eurostat normally around 12 weeks before the one year deadline, referring to the preceding year. Accessibility and clarity of data Data related to agri-environmental statistics can be downloaded from Eurostat’s online database. Coherence and comparability / consistency of data The data is collected at NUTS 2 level, and is comparable to the data of other European Union member states since all the countries follow the established guidelines of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009. Data is comparable from 2011 onwards. Metadata |