Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1051. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the decision of the previous Minister to seek tenders once again for a single supplier of cattle tags; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10238/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department has reviewed the rationale for seeking a single supplier for cattle tags in an upcoming public procurement competition. This review concluded that this policy is in the best interest of stakeholders and the bovine traceability system in Ireland.

The single supplier policy is deemed to be the optimum mechanism for ensuring that ear tags are made available to Irish farmers at a competitive price on the grounds that a single supplier, selected on the basis of a competitive tender and benefitting from economies of scale, is likely to make bovine tags available to herd keepers at the most competitive price, while at the same time meeting the identification requirements of the bovine sector in Ireland for superior quality bovine tags. This policy has been endorsed by the main farming organisations.

I am currently considering this matter further and my Department will publish a Request for Tenders (RFT) shortly.