A majority of Agriland readers who took part in a snap survey over a 24-hour period have indicated that they would like the independent TD for Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae, to get the top ministerial job at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
A total of 1,718 people took part in the survey where Agriland asked readers who they would like to get the portfolio as agriculture minister and who else they believed should get a ministerial role in the department.
A total of 1,249 people responded to the question which offered four suggestions of who should be the next minister for agriculture.
The options were Charlie McConalogue (FF); Martin Heydon (FG); Michael Healy-Rae (ind); or Noel Grealish (ind).
40.2% of them indicated that they would like to see the independent TD for Kerry as the next Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Michael Healy-Rae has confirmed that he is likely to be a junior minister in the next government and his name has been strongly linked to a role in DAFM.
After Healy-Rae, the next most popular candidate for the top job was the outgoing Minister of State at DAFM, Martin Heydon.
A total of 38.8% of the respondents who took part in the snap survey believe the Fine Gael TD should get the lead job in the department.
Minister Heydon, who had responsibility for new market development, farm safety, and research and development in his previous role with DAFM, has been widely tipped to actually get the job as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Agriculture minister
However,17.5% of the people who took part in the survey also indicated that they believed the outgoing Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, should hang on to the job.
One other politician who has been linked to a possible ministerial role with DAFM is the Galway West independent TD ,Noel Grealish.
In the Agriland survey, 3.4% of people who responded to the question on who should get the job of agriculture minister indicated that it should be Noel Grealish.
DAFM
The snap survey also offered readers the opportunity to suggest who else they believed should get a ministerial job in DAFM.
There were 469 responses to this additional question with independent TD for Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae once again topping that poll – he received the backing of 73 respondents while outgoing Minister of State, Martin Heydon also had the support of 30 of our audience who believed he should secure a ministerial role again.
Meanwhile other popular candidates for a ministerial role in DAFM, according to Agriland readers included the Independent Ireland TD for Roscommon-Galway, Michael Fitzmaurice, who got the backing of 32 respondents and the independent TD for Kerry, Danny Healy-Rae, who got the backing of 24 people.
Other names mentioned were Mayo Fianna Fáil TD, Dara Calleary (who held the agri minister role for a short few weeks period in 2020, but resigned over the ‘Golfgate‘ saga relating to a breach of public health guidelines during the pandemic) and also Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Timmy Dooley.
Agriland’s snap survey was open to respondents from 5:45p.m on Thursday, January 16 until Friday, January 17 6:00p.m.