13 July 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork recently lost its Agriculture Minister, as in the new Government Macroom’s Michael Creed (FG) moved to the back benches. To make up for the vacuum; Non-Government party Labour TD then appointed their Cork East TD Sean Sherlock as party spokesman on Agriculture, along with the Marine, Social Protection, Rural and Community Affairs and the Islands. Now, Government party Fine Gael has a taken a similar step to ensure that County Cork (Ireland’s largest county) retains an Agri voice in the Oireachtas
Fine Gael have done this by announcing that their Senator Tim Lombard has been appointed as spokesperson on Agriculture, food and the marine in the Seanad.
The popular Cork politician said:
“I have been appointed the Fine Gael spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine in the Seanad by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. I’m looking forward to working with Minister Martin Heydon [Minister of state for research and development, farm safety and new market development] and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in this new role,”
Lombard, who farms North of Carrigaline in the Minane Bridge/Tracton area, has been Senator on the Seanad’s Agriculture Panel since April 2016. Prior to that he was a Cork County Councillor (who took over the seat of Simon Coveney). During his time as a Cllr he also served as County Mayor in the 2011/2012 period.
Cork Senator Tim Lombard
