There has been a third ministerial appointment within the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM).
Kildare South Fine Gael TD, Martin Heydon, has moved to fill the position of Minister for State in the department with responsibility for research and development, farm safety, and new market development.
He will join Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Barry Cowen, and Super Junior Minister for Agriculture with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett.
Experience
The 41-year-old farmer and GAA supporter is currently chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party.
The married father-of-three has been a Fine Gael TD for Kildare South since 2011 and was re-elected in 2016.
He served as chair of Fine Gael’s internal committee on agriculture and rural affairs between 2011 and 2016. He was then appointed to the Special Oireachtas Committee on climate action in 2018.
‘Looking forward to the challenge’
In a tweet yesterday (Wednesday, July 1st), Heydon, said: “It’s a great honour to be the first Kildare Fine Gael Minister in 23 years.”
“Many thanks to my family and supporters for helping me reach this point today. I look forward to the challenge ahead.” the tweet concluded.
Image source: Martin Heydon Twitter
