Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 495 and 496 together.

The current contract for the supply of bovine identification tags, which will expire on 31 October 2016, was awarded to a single supplier following a public procurement competition in 2012.  Under this public procurement competition, it was open to any tag supply company within the EU to submit a tender application. 

 My Department has recently published an approval process for the supply of bovine identification tags to cover the period commencing on 1 November 2016. The approval process, which will permit multiple suppliers to supply bovine ear tags, will be based on a robust approval system both of tags and suppliers. Applications from tag suppliers will be assessed against the requirements of EU regulations relating to bovine identification, as well as the ancillary requirements which have been in place for many years (secure premises, ability to interact with the Department's IT system etc) and which are designed to ensure that the supply of ear tags comply with all of the requirements of these regulations. These requirements have been notified to all tag suppliers who had previously indicated an interest in supplying tags on the Irish market. They have also been published on my Department's website.