The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed the selection of a new chief veterinary officer, who will take up the role later in the year.
The department confirmed that Dr. June Fanning will be appointed to the job, following a recent Top-Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) competition for the role of chief veterinary officer.
The Top Level Appointments Committee was established in 1984, and its function is to recommend candidates to ministers and government for the most senior positions in the civil service at assistant secretary level and upwards.
The role is the highest civil servant role in the country for veterinary affairs.
Dr. Fanning is currently serving as deputy chief veterinary officer.
She will step into the role of chief veterinary officer when the current holder of the position, Dr. Martin Blake, stands down from the role later this year.
The process of taking applications for the role ended in late June.
The role of chief veterinary officer has responsibility for animal health, animal welfare, veterinary public health, and food safety policy areas of the department.
Responsibilities also include operational controls across these areas as well as in animal by-products, medicines, border controls regarding imports of animals and products of animal origin, and support of exports of animals and products of animal origin to existing and new markets.
The chief veterinary officer is assisted by other officers, including deputy chief veterinary officers.
The officer reports to the department’s general secretary, and the role is considered a pivotal and influential position.
The officer is in charge of several policy and operational areas that are required to fulfil certain priorities and commitments under the department’s statement of strategy for 2023 to 2026.
Overall, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has just over 4,000 staff, and operates from six large regional locations across the country, with a presence also in a further sixteen regional operational offices and a large number of other locations countrywide.