The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has launched a recruitment call for appointments to the position of border control veterinary inspectors.
Successful applicants will be based at one of its three BCPs, namely Dublin Airport, Dublin Port or Rosslare Port and will report to a superintending veterinary inspector.
Role of VIs
VIs, as they are also known as, provide “critical” skills and expertise in the areas of animal health and welfare, sanitary and phytosanitary checks on imports, veterinary public health and food safety.
Veterinary Inspectors play a critical role in protecting public health, the food and animal feed chains and safeguarding the health and welfare of the national herd.
The work of Veterinary Inspectors in DAFM encompasses several primary roles – that of inspection, including:
- Import controls;
- Operational control;
- Certification across livestock;
- Food production systems and imports, in the development of policies across the One Health One Welfare landscape, in support of international trade and market access of Irish produce and in providing policy advice to ministers.
To qualify, candidates must:
- Hold a degree in veterinary medicine recognised by the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) at the time of the application;
- Be eligible for entry on the register of veterinary practitioners held by the VCI and be registered prior to taking up any position offered;
- Have a current full driving licence and access to a vehicle for their own use;
- Have the capacity for shift work, including night shifts;
- Have experience working as a vet in the public or private sector;
- A knowledge and interest in state veterinary medicine and understanding of the role of a veterinary inspector;
- An ability to speak and write effectively in English ;
- Demonstrate that they possess the required standard in the competencies identified as being important for the role as set out in the full job spec.
Roster
Currently, VIs are rostered approximately 1 in 5 weekends (day/night) and 1 in 8 weeks night shifts and will be required to work shifts that cover the hours of operation at their location.
Most VIs, the job listing on the DAFM’s website states, are rostered to cover the busiest periods at the port, which range from Monday to Friday, 6 am-2 pm and 2 pm-10 pm.
An additional premium of up to 25% on top of basic pay may be payable to staff working 24/7, and 17.5% on top of basic pay may be payable to two shift patterns, i.e. no night shift.
Furthermore, according to the job listing, there are also additional payments for working Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Pay
The salary scale for this position, with effect from October 1st, 2023 is as follows:
Personal Pension Contribution (PPC) Pay Rate:
€62,355 €66,693 €69,159 €71,842 €75,003 €77,880 €80,758 €83,633 €86,507 €89,381 €92,256 €95,129 €100,864 €104,078(LSI1) €107,279(LSI2)
How to apply:
Submit an application form before 2 pm on February 17th, 2023, as outlined in the full job listing.
