The hearing of the Commissioner-designate for agriculture and rural development Phil Hogan by the AGRI Committee takes place in Brussels tomorrow (Thursday).

President-elect of the European Commission Jean Claude Junker announced his cabinet in recent weeks and included the former Minister for Environment  as the next EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) is responsible for scrutinising the European Commission’s work related to agricultural policy. This mainly involves preparing reports for legislative proposals, falling under the co-decision procedure between Parliament and the Council, for adoption in plenary.

The AGRI Committee has 45 full members and 45 substitute members. Among its members are three Irish MEPs Luke Ming Flanagan, Matt Carthy and Mairead McGuinness

Should he be successful in his bid for the post Hogan is set to fill the shoes currently occupied by the Romanian Commissioner Dacian Cioloș. Hogan will be handed control of 40pc of the EU’s €150bn yearly budget – a total of €60bn. The 54-year-old, Fine Gael TD will receive a salary and allowances of almost €250,000 per year before tax.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has strongly welcomed the appointment of Phil Hogan as EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Agriculture has always been a priority for Ireland and this is an appointment that Government has made a priority. It is a very significant announcement for Ireland and is recognition of the role the Irish Presidency played in securing a Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) agreement last year”.

He added: “This is clearly the appointment this Government had sought and been working on for the last number of months and I am delighted that today we have secured the position of EU Agriculture Commissioner. Ireland sees this appointment as securing a major economic portfolio with controls 40% of the EU Budget. This Government has prioritised Agriculture and Food as a major economic driver for the Irish economy and this appointment will help deliver those targets.”