Martin Heydon is the new Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As widely expected, the Kildare man was chosen to succeed Charlie McConalogue in one of the hottest seats in cabinet and will steer the course forward for Ireland's 130,000 family farms over the next (potentially) five years.
Martin Heydon is the new Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
As widely expected, the Kildare man was chosen to succeed Charlie McConalogue in one of the hottest seats in cabinet and will steer the course forward for Ireland's 130,000 family farms over the next (potentially) five years.
His appointment will be confirmed shortly by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who himself was elected earlier on Thursday following on from Wednesday's chaos in the Dáil.
A farmer all his life, a TD since 2011 and a Minister of State in Agriculture House for the last five years, it's been a lifelong apprenticeship for the biggest job in Irish farming for Heydon.
The 46-year-old will be stepping up from his Minister of State role, but it's a role he has been training for all his life in one sense.
Background
Heydon is a farmer, having attended Kildalton Agricultural College and completed his green cert. He took over the family farm while still in his teens, his father having died while Martin was only eight, developing a suckler and tillage farm.
Heydon has been a Fine Gael TD for Kildare South since 2011. He served as party chair and was appointed Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture in 2020, with responsibility for research and development, market development and farm safety.
He is married to Brianne and they have four children.
It's widely expected that Heydon will have three Ministers of State operating alongside him, at least in part.
The Regional Independent Group government representation has been widely leaked over the last 10 days, with Noel Grealish to be a super-junior Minister of State based in Agriculture House.
Grealish will attend cabinet and will have responsibility for food promotion, new markets, research and development.
Michael Healy-Rae will also be part of the agriculture team and is expected to take the forestry portfolio. Responsibility for the marine is likely to be handed to Fianna Fáil Cork South West TD Christopher O'Sullivan.
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