The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine ( ga, An tAire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara) is a senior minister in the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The govern ...

and leads the

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine ( ga, An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara) is a department of the Government of Ireland. According to the department, its mission is to "lead the sustainable development of a competitive, con ...

. Historically, the agriculture portfolio has gone under a number of different names; the holder has often borne the title of simply Minister for Agriculture. The current Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is

Charlie McConalogue Charlie McConalogue (born 29 October 1977) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine since September 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal constituency since the 2016 ...

. He is assisted by two Ministers of State: *Senator Pippa Hackett – Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity; and *

Martin Heydon Martin Heydon (born 9 August 1978) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Research & Development, Farm Safety and New Market Developmen ...

, TD – Minister of State for Research & Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development.

Functions

The department's functions include: *Policy advice and development on all areas of departmental responsibility *Representation in international especially

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

and national negotiations; *Development and implementation of national and EU schemes in support of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and

rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of ...

. *Monitoring and controlling aspects of food safety. *Control and audit of public expenditure under its control. *Regulation of the agriculture, fisheries and food industries through national and

EU law European Union law is a system of rules operating within the member states of the European Union (EU). Since the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community following World War II, the EU has developed the aim to "promote peace, its val ...

. *Monitoring and controlling animal and plant health and animal welfare. *Monitoring and direction of state bodies engaged in the following areas: **Research training and advice. **Market development and promotion. **Industry regulation and development. **Commercial activities. *Direct provision of support services to agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

List of office-holders

;Note

References

External links

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agriculture, Food and the Marine Lists of government ministers of Ireland Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Fishing in Ireland Government ministers of the Republic of Ireland

Minister