Working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Over 3000 staff work for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in locations across the country and in cities across the globe. Working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) can provide you with a rewarding and fulfilling career at the forefront of agri-food, forestry and marine sectors.

The Department embraces a diverse workforce and recognises the value that staff of different backgrounds, perspectives and skills sets contribute to the organisation. We promote diversity, equality and inclusion as core values and recognise these attributes as central to the success of the Department in achieving its professional objectives. Respect is a core value which must be reflected at all levels in the organisation. We provide equal opportunities across our workforce and encourage a dynamic working environment.

Department staff work in a wide variety of areas. There are over 60 different roles in the Department, ranging from general administrative and service roles to specialist professional positions, which include agricultural inspectorate, agricultural officers and engineering, financial, IT, laboratory, legal and veterinary roles amongst others.

Most roles are office-based and facilitated by sophisticated IT systems. The Department has a state-of-the-art laboratory facility at Backweston in Celbridge, Co.Kildare and a number of smaller laboratories at locations around the country, where our laboratory services staff are based. Other roles involving our inspectorate, technical and veterinary staff involve inspections at meat-processing plants or incorporate outdoor work, for example farm inspections and Border Inspection Posts checks.

What we do

• Provide a range of corporate support services across a diverse range of Department Divisions. Areas of service include, but are not limited to Accommodation, Accounts, Agriculture Appeals, Audit, Communications, Corporate Affairs, Data Management, Economics and Planning, Finance, Human Resources, IT, the Minister’s Office, Data Protection, Management Services, Legal Services, Research and Trade.
• Contribute to policy development and implementation across a variety of areas, including, but not limited to, Animal Welfare, Climate Change, Corporate Development, Food Industry, Forestry Sector, Plant Health, Seafood and Veterinary.
• Engage in strategic policy planning relating to national agri-food policy and contribute to Ireland’s input into EU and international agricultural policy.
• Support payments and entitlements to farmers and fishermen through the implementation of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy schemes.
• Facilitate EU market support measures such as export refunds, aid for private storage and intervention.
• Support and develop our State Bodies and Agencies.
• Facilitating trade and international relations through our overseas staff network.

Why:

• To provide the highest quality service to the Minister and our stakeholders.
• To progress the economic development of the agri-food, forestry and marine sectors.
• To deliver schemes and services effectively.
• To facilitate the sustainable advancement of our environment.
• To adhere to the highest standards of corporate governance, including maintaining effective financial management of systems and controls.
• To equip the Department with the highest quality IT support, systems and processes to support the broad range of activities carried out by the Department and to ensure extensive online services to its customers.

Where:

Staff operating in policy areas and key support services are found in key offices and regional offices across the nationwide. On a global scale, the Department is represented by agriculture attaché staff in cities across the globe, including Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Mexico City, Rome, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington DC.

How:

• By ensuring that the Department adheres to the highest standards of corporate governance.
• Regulating the agriculture, fisheries and food industries through national and EU legislation and by ensuring that the legislative framework is in place to operate all schemes and services.
• Through control and audit of public expenditure.
• By representing the Department at national, EU and international negotiations.
• Participation in Ministerial trade missions to third countries.
• Representing the Department at attaché level in multilateral and bilateral Missions.
• By engaging in focused oversight of the Departments Agencies and State Bodies.
• By ensuring that IT teams are have the required expertise and capacity to implement

Who we employ:

Most of our Policy and Key Support Services staff enter the Civil Service via recruitment campaigns run by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). Promotion opportunities arise through a mixture of internal, interdepartmental and PAS competitions.

Service Officer - Entry Grade

Clerical Officer - Entry Grade

Executive Officer - Entry/Graduate Entry Grade

Higher Executive Officer

Administrative Officer - Graduate Entry Grade

Assistant Principal Officer - Senior Management Entry Grade

Principal Officer

Assistant Secretary General

Secretary General

Vacancies for specialist and professional roles in areas such as Economics, Engineering, Finance, IT/ICT, Legal Services, etc., are advertised occasionally in accordance with the Department’s business needs. To register for job alerts across the public sector, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, please register with the Public Appointments Service.

What We Do

The work of the Agricultural Inspectorate within the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) is varied. On any given day you will find Agricultural Inspectors:

• Operating the laboratory service for the milk and milk product and the horticulture and plant health sectors, so that the required standards for food safety, plant health, market supports, and certification are maintained;
• Formulating policies and measures to prevent the entry and spread of non-indigenous quarantine pests, to control regulated pests and to negotiate the defence of the national plant health status;
• Promoting the development of an efficient primary horticultural sector;
• Contributing to the development of policy and strategies to promote environmentally friendly and sustainable systems of agriculture and assisting structural change through schemes such as GLAS;
• Supporting registration of pesticides (plant protection and biocidal products) for marketing and use in Ireland by evaluating their eligibility for regulatory approval;
• Implementing EU and national legislation in the zootechnical area to carry out controls of herd books and studbooks and licensing of AI stations;
• Evaluating crop varieties most suitable for growing under Irish conditions and registering Plant Variety Rights;
• Contributing to the development of legislation and policy formation on Feeding stuffs, Fertilisers, Grain and Poultry;
• Implementing effective feed and food safety inspection and control programmes at all stages of the feed chain;
• Assisting trade and facilitating co-operation and sharing of information while working abroad in the role of Agricultural Attaché.
• Assisting in the development of CAP legislation in respect of direct payments and its implementation:
• Lead and coordinate on the process for the development of the next 10-year strategy for the Irish agri-food sector, to replace FoodWise 2025.
• Contribute to the development of National & EU Research and Innovation policy that best services DAFM/sector needs.
• Support the procurement and delivery of specialist scientific-based learning and development opportunities and interventions to staff.
• Inspect forests, nurseries and sawmills.
• Monitor and report on felling licence activities.
• Measure and record forest data for National Forest Inventories.
• Carry out inspections and documentation checks in relation to forest protection, carbon accounting, and research and development.
• Engage in works associated with the expansion and management of the forest estate e.g. Afforestation Schemes.
• Evaluate, monitor and verify progress and expenditure on Department funded forest research projects.

Where

There are over 200 DAFM Agricultural Inspectorate personnel working throughout the country.

Why

Serving the Government and people of Ireland by leading, developing and regulating the agri-food sector, protecting public health, and optimising social, economic and environmental benefits.

How

• By bringing relevant scientific, technical expert-based evidence and other knowledge to bear on policy evaluation and analysis and on the development and implementation of strategies and programmes;
• By providing leadership, management and conducting controls in areas which are predominantly scientific/technical in nature, such as livestock, dairying, crops and seeds, plant health, pesticides/biocides, feedstuffs, environment, research, water quality, climate change, nitrates, cross compliance, and also providing expertise in agricultural economics;
• By representing DAFM on Inter-Departmental Committees and at meetings with other Departments and Agencies in areas which are scientific/technical in nature such as Science, Technology and Innovation, Climate Change and Water Framework Directive.
• By promoting and negotiating Irelands interests at international scientific fora and with such bodies as the EU (many scientific and technical expert committees), OECD, European Food Safety Authority, Codex Alimentarius, FAO Commission on Genetic Resources the International Plant Protection Convention and the Community Plant Rights Office;
• By meeting the scientific needs of DAFM. These needs have increased in recent years in areas such as environment, research, biocides, plant health and molecular biology.
• By implementing of EU and national forest legislation.

Who

The Agricultural Inspectorate comprise honours science graduates with a range of primary qualifications which include Agriculture Science, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Toxicology, Ecotoxicology, Molecular Biology, Engineering, Food Science, and more. Almost 50% also have post-graduate Masters Degrees or PhD qualifications.

The grading structure of the Agricultural Inspectorate comprises of a Chief Inspector, a Deputy Chief Inspector, Senior Inspectors, Agricultural Inspectors and Assistant Agricultural Inspectors. The Forest Service is comprised of a Senior Inspector, Forestry Inspector Grade 1, Forestry Inspector Grade 2 and Forestry Inspector Grade 3. Inspectorate grades join the Department at Assistant Agricultural Inspector or Forestry Inspector Grade 3 level and progress their careers through competing in internal competitions. Opportunities for career development within the civil service are also available. DAFM has about 60 Divisions and 13 Heads of Divisions are Senior Inspectors

• Inspecting and assessing applications under the Targeted Agricultural Modernization Scheme (TAMS); the TAMS Schemes include the Dairy Equipment Scheme, the Sheep Handling Scheme, Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment Scheme, Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme, Organic Capital Investment Scheme, Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme and Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme.
• Carrying out inspections relating to Basic payment scheme, Area of natural constraint scheme in designated areas, Cross compliance inspections, Local authority Nitrates inspections, Beef data genomics programme, Young farmers scheme, Sheep welfare scheme, Suckler beef scheme.
• Desk checks to ensure correct supporting documentation such as engineer’s drawings, planning permission and investment calculations.
• On-farm inspections on selected TAMS applications to determine their eligibility prior to approval and/or before payment to confirm that the investments were completed in accordance with the relevant Department specifications.
• Draw on their knowledge of farm buildings, machinery and livestock handling equipment and the Department’s Specifications and Procedures to assess the TAMS applications.
• Horticulture Plant health monitoring duties.
• Carrying out pesticide surveys and cross-compliance checks.
• Veterinary Public Health duties in meat establishments across the country relating to identification compliance, blood sampling and hygiene checks.
• Disease control related inspections at farm level under Animal Health and Welfare regulations.
• Animal identification and movement control inspections.
• Livestock Mart Inspections.
• Herd Registration inspections.
• Inspections relating to Transport of live bovine animals.
• Duties relating to live animal exports.
• Bovine Dealer premises inspections
• Co-ordinate On farm market valuation scheme between herdowners and independent valuers. Arrange for removal of Bovine animals off farms under Animal Health and Welfare regulations.
• Crop evaluation, certification, sampling and inspections.

Feedstuffs, fertilisers and grain marketing inspections.

• Pesticide registration and controls.
• Appeals officer in Agricultural appeals office

Why

• To promote structural change at farm level.
• To implement specific measures supporting environmentally sustainable agriculture and fisheries.
• To confirm farm eligibility prior to the payment of TAMs scheme in order to ensure financial compliance with scheme requirements.
• To ensure that the highest standard in Food Safety and animal welfare is maintained.
• To ensure compliance with Animal health and welfare legislation.
• To ensure the production of safe food for consumers.
• To comply with national & EU legislative requirements.

Where

Nationwide – Technical Agricultural Officers work in various locations across the Department and may be head quartered in Regional offices or Meat factories.

How

Inspect, Monitor and sample on farm and at food business operator premises.

Who

Technical Agricultural Officers are required to have a third level qualification in agriculture-related studies to National Certificate level or equivalent.

Technical grades join the Department at Technical Agricultural Officer level, and progress their careers through competing in internal and PAS competitions for promotion as follows:

• Technical Agricultural Officer
• Supervisory Agricultural Officer
• District Superintendent
• Area Superintendent

Mission Statement:

Scientific Excellence - Safeguarding and Enhancing Public, Animal and Plant Health and our Environment.

What we do:

DAFM laboratories performs a wide range of regulatory, diagnostic and research testing across the range of disciplines; Veterinary, Agricultural, Food and Plant Science.

Why:

• Support farmers, exports and the consumer.
• Protect the food chain and the environment.
• Monitor and maintain our disease-free status, which is vital for trade.

Location:

DAFM laboratories are based on a large state of the art complex in Backweston, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. In addition, there are smaller regional laboratories in Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, Athlone and Sligo.

How:

Specialist testing in a wide range of areas including:-

• Virology
• Pathology
• Bacteriology
• Parasitology
• Food Microbiology
• Food Chemistry
• Pesticides
• Plant and Science and Seed Testing
• Environmental and Analytical Chemistry
• Nationwide surveys of plants and livestock.
• Testing of diagnostic samples.
• Performs National Reference Laboratory (NRL) function across a wide range of disciplines.
• Development and validation of new methods.

Research and Development relevant to work of DAFM laboratories.

• Collaboration with academic and state bodies across Europe.
• Support staff to undertake part-time post graduate studies.

Who we employ:

DAFM employs a range of scientific grades. All scientific grades have a promotional pathway.

In addition, DAFM employ a range of support grades in the laboratories.

• Quality Managers.
• Biosecurity Officer.
• Health and Safety Officer.
• Laboratory Attendants.
• Serological Assistants.
• Administrative grades.
• I.T. grades.

What we do

Our Veterinary staff contribute to the Department endeavours by:

• Striving to ensure that animals are being farmed ethically and in a way that protects consumers, farmers, the food industry and farmed animal populations.
• Seeking to evaluate and improve farm practices, by developing initiatives aimed at cultivating best practice particularly in relation to animal health and welfare.
• Assessing and dealing with risks posed to the food industry, farmers and consumers from diseases, food processing and farming practices.

Why

• Supports our farmers, exports and the consumer.
• Protects the integrity of food chain and the environment.
• Monitors the status of Ireland as being free of certain diseases.
• Contributes nationally and internationally to the development of legislation.

Location

Our veterinary staff are located nationwide and operate both in the office and on the ground supporting the Department in

Veterinary Services

Our veterinary services can be broadly divided into three divisions:

1. Animal Health & Welfare Division

Colleagues in the Animal Health & Welfare Division provide expert advice to influence national and international legislation, and policies, and liaise directly with producers and operators involved in the producing or processing food.

2. Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service

Our Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service implement and oversee production and processing controls from the time animals or products leave the farm to ensure the integrity of the food chain. Department veterinarians assess whether producers and operators involved in producing or processing food are implementing the law correctly, and make recommendation regarding best practice.

3. Veterinary Laboratory Services

Our Veterinary Laboratories form part of the wider Laboratory services of the Department, and support our veterinary services by carrying out testing and building on diseases intelligence nationwide.

Structure

Role in Veterinary include:

• Veterinary Inspectors
• Senior Veterinary Inspectors
• Senior Superintending Veterinary Inspectors
• Chief Veterinary Officer
• Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer

As an employee of the Department, you will have a variety of responsibilities. These will depend on your role and may include, but are not limited to:

• Policy development on all areas of Departmental responsibility.
• Development and implementation of national and EU schemes in support of Agriculture, Food, *Fisheries, Forestry and Rural Environment.
• Monitoring and controlling aspects of Food Safety.
• Monitoring and controlling animal and plant health and animal welfare.
• Legislative regulation of the agri-food and fisheries industries.
• Representation of the Department in international fora and EU negotiations.
• Provision of legal advice and management of legal cases relating to all areas of Department responsibility
• Design, development and maintenance of IT systems.
• Control and audit of public expenditure.

Our staff must to be able to work effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including members of the public, the Minister, other civil service departments, the wider public sector, and voluntary and private sectors.

In addition to our network of offices and key locations nationwide, the Department also has a presence in key locations across the globe in association with the embassy network attached to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Opportunities regularly arise for secondment to other Government Departments and agencies and to the EU Institutions, in accordance with cross-Departmental and EU administrative business needs.

The Department is committed to the ongoing training and development of our staff to ensure that we have relevant skills sets to help us achieve our business objectives and that our staff are supported to pursue self-development opportunities. Each member of staff completes yearly Learning and Development Plan with their manager in order to select training courses which will help them achieve their work goals.

The Department supports, through its Funding of Fees scheme, formal educational courses that lead to educational or professional qualifications which are relevant to the business needs of the Department. These courses are undertaken in a staff member’s own time, however the Department will support participants through the provision of paid study and exam leave.

Civil servants employed by the Department are entitled to a tiered pay scale where annual increments are awarded, subject to satisfactory performance and compliance with Sick Leave guidelines. Your pay scale is dependent on your grade and associated responsibilities.

Department employees will be offered the appropriate superannuation (pension) terms and conditions as prevailing in the Civil Service at the time of being offered an appointment. A new staff member who has never worked in the Public Service will be offered appointment based on membership of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.

Pay during absences will apply on a pro-rata basis, in accordance with the provisions of prevailing sick leave circulars.

A Paid Sick Leave Scheme provides for payment to staff during periods of absence from work due to illness or injury:

• A maximum of 92 days on full pay in a rolling one-year period
• Followed by a maximum of 91 days on half pay in a rolling one-year period
• Subject to a maximum of 183 days paid sick leave in a rolling four-year period

In recognition of the fact that, sometimes, a longer period of sick leave can be required to address a critical illness or serious physical injury, there are further Critical Illness Provisions which may apply in exceptional circumstances.

Flexible working hours

Flexible working hours may be available to you in certain offices and regions, depending on your grade, the requirements of the role and business needs of your team.

The purpose of the Shorter Working Year scheme is to permit you to balance working life with personal commitments. Under the terms of the scheme, special leave without pay is available in periods of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 13 consecutive weeks. The grant of leave under this scheme is subject to the requirements of your role and the business needs of your team.

A career break may be granted to you for family reasons, other domestic reasons, travel, educational purposes, taking up employment in the private sector or becoming self-employed. Career breaks may be granted for a period of at least 6 months up to a maximum of 3 years for taking up employment in the private sector or becoming self-employed, and a maximum of 5 years for other reasons. Eligible staff may, in general, avail of three career breaks during their career in the Civil Service subject to a maximum of 12 years in total.

Maternity Leave is a statutory entitlement which ensures that staff are entitled to 26 weeks maternity leave with the option of with 16 weeks additional unpaid maternity leave. Staff are also entitled to time off to attend ante-natal appointments as required. New parents (other than the mother of the child) are entitled to 2 weeks paternity leave from employment or self-employment following birth or adoption of a child. A staff member who is adopts a child is entitled to 24 weeks consecutive Adoptive Leave followed by up to 16 weeks consecutive unpaid Adoptive Leave.

Parental Leave is a statutory entitlement, which allows the parent or guardian of a child, born or adopted, to take unpaid leave for 22 working weeks (as of 01/09/2019) and 26 working weeks (as of 01/09/2020) for the purpose of childcare.

Department staff are entitled to apply for the Travel Pass Scheme and Cycle to Work Scheme and Taxsaver Commuter Ticket Scheme.

Recruitment for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is facilitated by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) . All vacancies in the Department are advertised on the PAS website: www.publicjobs.ie.

Register with the Public Appointments Service and sign up for job alerts indicating your areas of interest to receive email updates about new competitions.

For general information about general and specialist careers in the Department, you can contact us directly*:

• Please note that we do not accept CVs to the email and postal addresses provided. All competitions/vacancies are advertised via the Public Appointments Service (PAS). Applications for competitions must be submitted on designated application forms via the process outlined on the Candidate Information Booklet relating to that competition.