Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon has today (Thursday, January 23) been confirmed as the next Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine.

The position was confirmed by the newly appointed Taoiseach Micheál Martin, after travelling to Áras an Uachtaráin to receive his seal of office.

The election of a Taoiseach and the appointment of Cabinet ministers had been due to take place yesterday but proceedings had to be abandoned due to a row over speaking rights in the Dáil.

It is understood that the identity of the various ministers of state/junior ministers will be confirmed in due course, although two TDs, Michael Healy-Rae and Noel Grealish, have said that they will be appointed to minister of state roles at the Department of Agriculture.

Minister Heydon takes over the role from outgoing minister for agriculture, and Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal, Charlie McConalogue, who has not been appointed to a senior ministerial role in the new government.

Minister Heydon comes from a beef farm in Co. Kildare and is also a TD for the Kildare South constituency, first elected in 2011.

In July 2020 he was appointed as Minister of State with special responsibility for research and development, farm safety and new market development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The minister previously served as a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and was a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action, which produced the cross party report on climate action Climate Change: A Cross- Party Consensus for Action.

He has also served on Oireachtas committees on arts, heritage, regional, rural, Gaeltacht affairs, and petitions.

Speaking to Agriland recently, Minister Heydon said that whoever receives the role as minister has a "great opportunity" to work with the 120,000 farmers in the country.

Minister Heydon said that ” the key focus” should be on “making sure we support farmers’ incomes” and “have their income on a sustainable footing”.

He also said that farmers will need support with the challenges facing the sector such as succession, the nitrates derogation, trade deals and bovine tuberculosis (TB).

While Minister Heydon said the brief will be "busy", he said that it also presents opportunities.

“That opportunity is epitomised in the fact that in the second half of 2026 Ireland will have the presidency of the EU.

“That will be a pivotal time in the negotiation of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Irish minister for agriculture will lead those negotiations at that time,” Heydon said.