Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 December 2020
184. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which an auctioneer can get on the panel of independent valuers that carry out live valuations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40557/20]
View answerValuers are appointed as contractors to my Department via a multi-supplier tendering framework advertised on the e-tenders website in line with relevant Irish and EU public procurement regulations.
The most recent request for tender (RFT), completed in 2016, required prospective tenderers to provide evidence of at least three years' experience in the evaluation of bovine livestock in one or more of the following six areas:
- expertise in livestock auctioneering/mart management.
- expertise in live judging.
- expertise in live weight assessment.
- expertise in projecting carcass grade at slaughter.
- expertise in projecting kill-out weights and
- expertise in analysing market trends/market requirements and in a minimum of two of more of the following four categories:
- Pedigree beef cattle.
- Commercial beef cattle.
- Pedigree dairy cattle and
- Commercial dairy cattle.
Applicants successful this round of the process were then invited to a secondary stage where they are required to demonstrate their expertise in evaluating of bovine livestock at a live assessment session and are assessed in terms of their ability to evaluate a broad range of categories relating to pedigree and non-pedigree beef and dairy animals, breeding and non-breeding. Tenderers are also required to demonstrate their overall knowledge relating to livestock breeding and the bovine livestock industry.
The current contract is due to expire on 1st November 2021. In line with procurement rules, a new RFT, following the format outlined above, will be published in the first quarter of next year in order to have a new contract in place for November.
