The Sligo-Leitrim TD, Martin Kenny, has been appointed as the Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture following a minor frontbench reshuffle.
Deputy Kenny will replace the Roscommon and Galway TD, Claire Kerrane, who has been moved to the childcare portfolio.
He was previously the party’s spokesperson on transport and communications but was also the Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine and a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Deputy Kenny lives in Aughavas, Co. Leitrim and formerly had been a member of Leitrim County Council for more than a decade.
He was elected to the Dáil in the 2016 General Election and currently represents rural regions across Sligo, Leitrim, west Cavan and south Donegal.
Sinn Féin
Deputy Kenny’s move represents the second appointment to the agriculture portfolio by Sinn Féin party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, within a period of 18 months.
Earlier this month during a Dáil debate on the agriculture appeals bill Deputy Kenny warned that “the big issue for most people in the farming industry is that their income has been dwindling and has been cut back for many years”.
He stated: “This is especially true for those in the west and north west who depend on suckling and sheep farming.
“We have serious problems there. The number of people choosing to stay farming the land is decreasing all the time. That is a reflection of the difficulties they have in getting an income from farming and that must be recognised”.
During the Dáil debate Deputy Kenny also highlighted that “farming has become a part-time occupation for many”.
He added: “Farmers need to have a job along with it in order to have an income.
“Central to that is the architecture we have around payments, assistance and having schemes in place to assist farmers.”
According to Deputy Kenny, this underlines why any delay to payments is “very difficult” for farmers.