The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine ( ga, An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara) is a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of 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 governm ...

. According to the department, its mission is to "lead the sustainable development of a competitive, consumer focused agri-food sector and to contribute to a vibrant

rural economy Rural economics is the study of rural economies. Rural economies include both agricultural and non-agricultural industries, so rural economics has broader concerns than agricultural economics which focus more on food systems. Rural developmen ...

and society". It is led by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin. The departmental team consists of the following: *Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine:

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 g ...

, TD **

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

for Land Use and Biodiversity:

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Pippa Hackett Pippa Hackett is an Irish Green Party (Ireland), Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since June 2020. She is one of three Minister of State (Ireland), Ministers of St ...

**Minister of State for Research & Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development:

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 Development ...

, TD *Secretary General of the Department: Brendan Gleeson

Overview

In carrying out its mandate the department undertakes a variety of functions including: *Policy advice and development on all areas of departmental responsibility *Representation in international especially

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and national negotiations; *Development and implementation of national and EU schemes in support of agriculture, food, fisheries, forestry and rural development. *Monitoring and controlling aspects of

food safety Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illness resulting from t ...

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

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

and plant health and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

. *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, food, fisheries and forestry. Since Britain is Ireland's main trading partner,

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

will have a huge impact on Ireland's agri-food sector. Britain was the market for 270,000 tonnes of Irish beef export. The tariff rates will "virtually wipe out" agri-food trade to Britain, according to the Irish Farmers' Association president Joe Healy.

History

The Department of Agriculture was created as a department of the

Ministry of Dáil Éireann Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

at one of the first meetings of

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

in 1919 with

Robert Barton Robert Childers Barton (14 March 1881 – 10 August 1975) was an Anglo-Irish politician, Irish nationalist and farmer who participated in the negotiations leading up to the signature of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. His father was Charles William Bar ...

as the first Minister for Agriculture, Horace Plunkett as the department's first vice-president, and

T. P. Gill Thomas Patrick Gill (25 Oct 1858 – 19 January 1931) was a prominent member of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the late 19th and early 20th century and a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons representing the South Louth con ...

as its first Secretary. In 1899, Plunkett had established the Department's forerunner, called the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (DATI). It was given a statutory basis by the

Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 The Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2020 is the legislation which governs the appointment of ministers to the Government of Ireland and the allocation of functions between departments of state. It is subject in particular to the provisio ...

. This act provided it with:

Alteration of name and transfer of functions

Over the years its name and functions have changed several times.

References

External links

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of Agriculture, Food And The Marine

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

1919 establishments in Ireland Ministries established in 1919

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

Agricultural organisations based in the Republic of Ireland