These subsidiary regulations, made under Article 7 of the Agriculture Act (Chapter 639), amend the Regulations on the Protection of Agricultural Land. The amendments introduce significant changes to the regulation of agricultural land use and management.

Regulation 8 is replaced to permit non-agricultural activities on agricultural land, including leisure practices (delizzji), provided that such activities do not interfere with permitted agricultural activities under Regulation 6 or cause environmental degradation. All non-agricultural activities must comply with the regulations and any other legal obligations.

Regulation 9 is comprehensively replaced to address unregistered agricultural land. Where agricultural land is unregistered and not maintained in accordance with Regulation 5, the Director must post notice at the site and publish a government notice requiring any person with an interest in the land to declare and describe that interest within three months. If no declaration is made, the Director may request Riżorsi Agrikoli Malta (Agricultural Resources Malta) to register the land in its name and assume effective possession, with authority to allocate it for agricultural activity.

If a valid title to the land is later proven to the Director's satisfaction, the registration must be cancelled by the end of the agricultural year in which title is established, and the land re-registered in the title holder's name. However, all fines, penalties, or other debts must first be settled by the title holder, unless the title holder proves it was impossible to register the land and comply with use obligations, in which case penalties are forgiven.

Riżorsi Agrikoli Malta must manage land registered to it as a bonus pater familias (prudent parent). When land is transferred to a valid title holder, the title holder must compensate Riżorsi Agrikoli Malta for all expenses incurred in taking possession and managing the land, including notarial, legal, fiscal, and improvement costs, unless the title holder proves impossibility of registration and compliance, in which case compensation is forgiven. A valid title holder may claim reimbursement of amounts collected by Riżorsi Agrikoli Malta from third parties if the title holder proves impossibility of registration and commits to farming the land once registered.

The regulations come into force two months after publication in the Government Gazette.

Regulations of 2026 Amending the Regulations on the Protection of Agricultural Land (A.L. 105 of 2026)