Fine Gael wants Coveney in Dept of Agriculture to renew party's link with rural Ireland

Fianna Fáil has stepped up its demands to take over the Foreign Affairs brief and the Department of Justice

Minister Simon Coveney hosted a major agricultural event in Cork last Friday, attended by several hundred people, which has sparked renewed speculation about the job currently held by Fianna Fáil's Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue. File picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Simon Coveney appears set for a return to the Department of Agriculture in next month’s Cabinet reshuffle as Fine Gael seeks to re-establish its link with rural Ireland.

Fine Gael has seen its traditional support among farmers and rural voters decline under the leadership of Leo Varadkar and several Government sources have said the party wants the portfolio back.