A tuna breeding company has filed a judicial letter in the First Hall of the Civil Court holding the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries responsible for damages it suffered when it was not allowed to buy enough tuna to breed.

AJD Tuna Ltd told the court that it was licensed to carry out tuna farming in local waters. The fish was caught in other countries which were signatories to the ICCAT international treaty and then purchased by AJD Tuna Ltd and farmed in Malta.

The company said it was authorised in terms of the ICCAT to purchase an annual quota of 3,200 tonnes of tuna to be raised. However the company said, the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries had abusively prevented it from purchasing tuna on the pretext that the department was enforcing a European Commission regulation. This meant that the director had stopped the company from purchasing tuna that had been legally caught by other states in terms of ICCAT. The company added that proceedings were pending before the European Court of Justice to impugn the EC regulation quoted by the Director.

AJD added that it was suffering damages as a result of the director's actions. It requested the director to allow it to purchase its quota of tuna and to make good for the damages it had suffered.

Lawyer John Refalo acted for AJD Tuna Ltd.

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