List of Irish Ministers of State
A Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine of the Government of Ireland and assists the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine . A Minister of State does not hold cabinet rank. Although, like the current Minister of State, Noel Grealish , they sometimes sit at cabinet as a super junior minister.
As of January 2025[update] , there is one Minister of State:
Noel Grealish , TD – Minister of State with responsibility for food promotion, new markets, research and development.
List of parliamentary secretaries
List of ministers of state
Department of Agriculture 1978–1987
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Thomas Hussey
1 January 1978
11 December 1979
Fianna Fáil
15th
12 December 1979
17 December 1980
16th
Lorcan Allen
12 December 1979
30 June 1981
Fianna Fáil
16th
Michael Smith
17 December 1980
30 June 1981
Fianna Fáil
16th
Michael D'Arcy
30 June 1981
9 March 1982
Fine Gael
Production and Marketing
17th
Ted Nealon
30 June 1981
9 March 1982
Fine Gael
Western Development
17th
Lorcan Allen
23 March 1982
14 December 1982
Fianna Fáil
Land Commission, Production and Marketing
18th
Bernard Cowen
23 March 1982
14 December 1982
Fianna Fáil
Disadvantaged Areas
18th
Patrick Hegarty
16 December 1982
10 March 1987
Fine Gael
Production
19th
Paul Connaughton Snr
16 December 1982
10 March 1987
Fine Gael
Land Structure and Development
19th
Department of Agriculture and Food 1987–1993
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Joe Walsh
12 March 1987
12 July 1989
Fianna Fáil
Food Industry
20th
19 July 1989
11 February 1992
21st
Séamus Kirk
12 March 1987
12 July 1989
Fianna Fáil
Horticulture
20th
19 July 1989
11 February 1992
Fianna Fáil
Horticulture
21st
John Browne
13 February 1992
12 January 1993
Fianna Fáil
Food industry
22nd
Liam Hyland
13 February 1992
12 January 1993
Fianna Fáil
Horticulture
Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry 1993–1997
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Liam Hyland
14 January 1993
15 June 1994
Fianna Fáil
Forestry and Rural Development
23rd
Brian O'Shea
14 January 1993
17 November 1994
Labour
Food and Horticulture
23rd
Jimmy Deenihan
20 December 1994
26 June 1997
Fine Gael
24th
Department of Agriculture and Food 1997–1999
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Noel Davern
8 July 1997
27 September 1999
Fianna Fáil
Livestock breeding and horticulture
25th
Ned O'Keeffe
8 July 1997
27 September 1999
Fianna Fáil
Food
25th
Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development 1999–2002
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Noel Davern
27 September 1999
6 June 2002
Fianna Fáil
Livestock breeding and horticulture
25th
Ned O'Keeffe
27 September 1999
17 February 2001
Fianna Fáil
Food
25th
Éamon Ó Cuív
19 February 2001
6 June 2002
Fianna Fáil
Rural development and the Western Development Commission
25th
Department of Agriculture and Food 2002–2007
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Noel Treacy
19 June 2007
29 September 2004
Fianna Fáil
Food and horticulture
26th
Liam Aylward
19 June 2007
29 September 2004
Fianna Fáil
Animal Health and Welfare; and Customer Service
26th
John Browne
29 September 2004
14 February 2006
Fianna Fáil
Forestry
26th
Brendan Smith
29 September 2004
14 June 2007
Fianna Fáil
Food and Horticulture
26th
Mary Wallace
14 February 2006
14 June 2007
Fianna Fáil
Forestry
26th
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 2007–2011
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
John Browne
20 June 2007
7 May 2008
Fianna Fáil
Fisheries
27th
Mary Wallace
20 June 2007
7 May 2008
Fianna Fáil
Forestry
27th
Trevor Sargent
20 June 2007
23 February 2010
Green
Food and Horticulture
27th • 28th
Tony Killeen
13 May 2008
23 March 2010
Fianna Fáil
Fisheries and Forestry
28th
Ciarán Cuffe
23 March 2010
23 January 2011
Green
Horticulture
28th
Seán Connick
23 March 2010
9 March 2011
Fianna Fáil
Fisheries and Forestry
28th
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2011–present
Name
Term of office
Party
Responsibilities
Government
Shane McEntee
10 March 2011
21 December 2012
Fine Gael
Food, Horticulture and Food Safety
29th
Tom Hayes
5 June 2013
6 May 2016
Fine Gael
Food, Horticulture and Food Safety
29th
Ann Phelan
15 July 2014
6 May 2016
Labour
Rural Economic Development
29th
Andrew Doyle
19 May 2016
14 June 2017
Fine Gael
Food, Forestry and Horticulture
30th
20 June 2017
27 June 2020
31st
Pippa Hackett [ 1]
27 June 2020
23 January 2025
Green
Land Use and Biodiversity
32nd [ 2] • 33rd [ 3] • 34th
Martin Heydon
1 July 2020
23 January 2025
Fine Gael
Research & Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development
Noel Grealish
23 January 2025
Incumbent
Independent
Food promotion, new markets, research and development
35th
References
By department
Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Defence
Education
Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Environment, Climate and Communications
Finance
Foreign Affairs
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Health
Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Justice
Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform
Rural and Community Development
Social Protection
Taoiseach
Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Transport
Specific roles Former