Only agriculture can deliver on both a viable future for farming and a healthier natural environment, according to newly appointed Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett.
In a brief statement to AgriLand, the newly appointed ‘super junior minister’ – who will have responsibility for land use and biodiversity – said:
“I am honoured and privileged to be appointed as a cabinet Minister of State in Agriculture.
I look forward to working with all stakeholders, and my government partners, to secure a viable future for farming, and a healthier natural environment. Only agriculture can deliver on both.
The minister was commenting following her appointment to the cabinet on Saturday, June 27.
Hackett, who is the Green Party’s spokesperson for agriculture, lives on a mixed organic farm with her family in Geashill, Co. Offaly.
The minister ran for a seat in Dáil Éireann last spring, but did not win one of the five seats in the Laois-Offaly constituency.
The new Minister of State holds a degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Essex and completed a PhD at the University of Limerick.