Brendan Smith (politician)

Brendan Coleman Smith born June 1956 is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade since April 2016 He has been a Teachta Dála TD since 1992, currently for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency He previously served as Minister for Justice and Law Reform from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 2008 to 2011 and Minister of State for Children from 2007 to 20081

Born in Cavan in 1956, Smith was educated at Bawnboy national school, St Camillus College Killucan, County Westmeath, and University College Dublin where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Economics For 15 years he worked as special advisor to the Fianna Fáil politician and former Tánaiste, John Wilson

Smith was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1992 general election for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency and has been re-elected at every subsequent election2 In the 28th Dáil, he was Government Whip on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs In Bertie Ahern's 2004 cabinet reshuffle, Smith was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food with special responsibility for Food and Horticulture

Following the 2007 general election, Smith became Minister for Children at the Department of Health and Children succeeding Brian Lenihan, Jnr in that position

On 7 May 2008 he was appointed as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Brian Cowen's cabinet In July 2010 Smith launched the Food Harvest 2020 strategy Its overall target to increase the value of Ireland's agri-food and fisheries exports by €5bn to reach €12bn by 20203 A September 2012 progress report on the Food Harvest 2020 strategy found that farmers and other primary producers had passed the halfway mark towards meeting their 2020 targets4

In 2010, during his term as Minister for Agriculture, he offered free cheese to Ireland's poor via a European Union scheme that had been around since the 1980s5 The public received Smith's announcement poorly and it was reported outside Ireland as the country became "a laughing stock internationally"678 Smith was then forced to defend his own scheme9

Following the resignation of Dermot Ahern in January 2011, Smith was also appointed as Minister for Justice and Law Reform10

Just before leaving office, Smith gave the go-ahead for genetically modified organism GMO foods to enter Ireland He told the media that Ireland had “altered its voting position” and would back proposals from the European Commission “aimed at authorising the placing on the market of food, food ingredients and feed containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified maize and cotton” Smith also said that Ireland would now tolerate “the low-level presence of, as yet, unauthorised GMO varieties in imports of animal food”11

He was the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Education and Skills from April 2011 to July 2012 In July 2012 he was appointed as party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Border Region Development

Referencesedit

^ "Mr Brendan Smith" Oireachtas Members Database Retrieved 24 September 2009
^ "Brendan Smith" ElectionsIrelandorg Retrieved 24 September 2009
^ "€5bn export surge sought in 2020 plan" Irish Independent 20 July 2010
^ "Food Harvest 2020 target at halfway mark" Irish Examiner 13 September 2012
^ "Government to let them eat cheese" The Irish Times 5 November 2010
^ Swords, Warren 7 November 2010 "It's not just hard cheese, it's old cheese" Daily Mail London
^ Smith, Lewis 6 November 2010 "Irish to get free 'Christmas cheese'" The Independent London
^ "Like a movie scene - Irish government declares "Let them eat cheese!"" Irish Central 5 November 2010
^ "Minister defends cheese-for-Christmas scheme" Irish Examiner 5 November 2010
^ "Election date set for 11 March" RTÉ News 20 January 2011 Archived from the original on 21 January 2011 Retrieved 21 January 2011
^ "Ireland to bring GM crops onto home market" TheJournalie 8 February 2011 Retrieved 10 February 2011

External linksedit

Official website
Brendan Smith's page on the Fianna Fáil website

Oireachtas
Preceded by John Wilson Fianna Fáil	Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Cavan–Monaghan 1992–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Noel Treacy	Minister of State for Food and Horticulture 2004–2007	Succeeded by Trevor Sargent
Preceded by Brian Lenihan	Minister of State for Children 2007–2008	Succeeded by Barry Andrews
Preceded by Mary Coughlan	Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 2008–2011	Succeeded by Simon Coveney as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Preceded by Dermot Ahern	Minister for Justice and Law Reform 2011	Succeeded by Alan Shatter as Minister for Justice and Equality
Party political offices
Preceded by John Browne	Chairman of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party 2016–present	Incumbent

v e Current members of Dáil Éireann
As elected to the 32nd Dáil in 2016 Ceann Comhairle: Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Fine Gael 50	Bailey Barrett Breen Brophy Bruton Burke C Byrne Cannon Carey Corcoran Kennedy Coveney Creed J Daly D'Arcy Deasy Deering R Doherty Donohoe Doyle Durkan English Farrell Fitzgerald Fitzpatrick Flanagan Griffin Harris Heydon Humphreys Kehoe E Kenny Kyne Madigan McEntee McHugh McLoughlin Mitchell O'Connor D Murphy Eoghan Murphy H Naughton Neville Noonan O'Connell O'Donovan O'Dowd Phelan Ring Rock Stanton Varadkar§
Fianna Fáil 44	Aylward Brassil Breathnach Browne Butler T Byrne Cahill Calleary Casey Cassells L Chambers J Chambers N Collins Cowen Curran Donnelly Dooley Fleming Gallagher Haughey Kelleher Lahart Lawless M Martin§ McConalogue Michael McGrath McGuinness A Moynihan M Moynihan Murphy O'Mahony Eugene Murphy D O'Brien O'Callaghan Ó Cuív O'Dea O'Keeffe O'Loughlin O'Rourke Rabbitte Scanlon Brendan Smith Smyth Troy
Sinn Féin 23	Adams§ Brady Buckley Crowe Cullinane P Doherty Ellis M Ferris Funchion M Kenny McDonald Mitchell Munster Nolan J O'Brien Ó Broin Ó Caoláin Ó Laoghaire O'Reilly Ó Snodaigh Quinlivan Stanley Tóibín
Labour Party 7	Burton Howlin§ Kelly J O'Sullivan Penrose B Ryan Sherlock
AAA–PBP 6	Barry Boyd Barrett Coppinger G Kenny P Murphy Bríd Smith
Independents 4 Change 4	Broughan J Collins C Daly Wallace
Green Party 2	C Martin E Ryan§
Social Democrats 2	C Murphy§ Shortall§
Workers and Unemployed Action 1	Healy§
Independent 18	Canney† M Collins Connolly Fitzmaurice† Grealish Halligan† Harty D Healy-Rae M Healy-Rae Lowry F McGrath† Mattie McGrath Moran† D Naughten M O'Sullivan Pringle Ross† Zappone
§Party leaders Italics = Ministers †Ind Alliance

v e Cowen Cabinet 2008–11
Taoiseach: Brian Cowen
Dermot Ahern Pat Carey Mary Coughlan Martin Cullen Noel Dempsey John Gormley Mary Hanafin Mary Harney Tony Killeen Brian Lenihan Micheál Martin Éamon Ó Cuív Willie O'Dea Batt O'Keeffe Eamon Ryan Brendan Smith

v e Ministers for Agriculture of Ireland
Robert Barton Art O'Connor Patrick Hogan James Ryan Paddy Smith James Dillon Thomas Walsh Frank Aiken Seán Moylan Charles Haughey Neil Blaney Jim Gibbons Mark Clinton Ray MacSharry Alan Dukes Brian Lenihan, Snr Austin Deasy Michael O'Kennedy Michael Woods Joe Walsh Ivan Yates Mary Coughlan Brendan Smith Simon Coveney Michael Creed