The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is currently inviting tenders for a feed analysis service.
The department is planning the development of the service as an official control laboratory for the control of animal feedingstuffs to search for the presence of constituents of animal origin.
Tenderers are required to provide analytical testing capacity in support of DAFM official control for the detection of the presence or otherwise of constituents of animal origin in feed.
The two year contract is expected to cost €500,000, excluding VAT with a best price-quality ratio.
The successful tenderer will be the designated official laboratory in accordance with regulation.
The deadline for the receipt of tenders for the project is 5:00p.m on July 15, 2024.
Feed analysis
Article 7 of EU Regulation 999/2001 prohibits the use of animal protein in animal feed even when processed.
Processed Animal Proteins are defined in EU regulation as animal proteins derived entirely from Category 3 material, which includes animal by-products.
The primary role of DAFM is to verify that animal feed and feeding practices do not constitute a hazard to human or animal health or to the environment.
DAFM carries out a programme of risk based controls including inspections and sampling of feedingstuffs at all stages along the feed chain, including importation, storage, manufacture, trade and use at farm level.
Tenders
The department has also sought tenders for the provision of a soil sampling and analysis programme.
The programme provides farmers and their advisors with comprehensive details about the nutrient status of their soils, soil carbon and soil health indicators on their farms.
The results can then be used to target soil management and farming practices to achieve economic and environmental sustainability on their farms.
Each farmer will receive the analysis reports with information on macro- and micro- nutrients, soil carbon and indications of the presence harmful bacteria.