Polls closed last week for the Seanad elections and counting left the agricultural panel returning four senators for Fine Gael, three for Fianna Fáil, one Independent and a senator apiece for the Greens, Aontú and Sinn Féin.

Among these incumbents are Niall Blaney, Victor Boyhan and Paul Daly, while outgoing Minister of State for nature Malcolm Noonan and Aontú’s second-ever Oireachtas member Sarah O’Reilly are new additions to the Seanad’s benches. Outgoing vice-chair of the Oireachtas agriculture committee and ex-Fine Gael spokesperson on agriculture, Cork’s Tim Lombard, failed in his bid to be returned to the Seanad, while former editor of the Irish Farmers Journal Matt Dempsey was also unsuccessful in his bid.