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The secretary general of the Department of Agriculture, Aidan O’Driscoll, is to leave his post.
In an email seen by the Irish Farmers Journal that was sent to all staff on Tuesday, O’Driscoll said that he would be taking up the role of secretary general at the Department of Justice and Equality from the beginning of September.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed later confirmed the information and wished O'Driscoll well in his new role, saying: "It has been a great pleasure to work with him over the course of the last few years and he has given dedicated service to the agriculture sector."
O’Driscoll had held the position of secretary general since January 2015, when he took over from Tom Moran, who had been in the role for 10 years.
It is not yet known who will replace O’Driscoll, but with roughly 18 months to get Ireland’s CAP proposal approved by the European Commission, the Department will be keen to find a suitable replacement.
Background
O'Driscoll joined the civil service in 1977 as an administrative officer and then trained as a policy analyst with the Department of Finance. He was the chief economist with the Department of Agriculture from 1995 to 2001, and assistant secretary general from 2001 to January 2015, when he became secretary general.
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