Brendan Smith (born 1 June 1956) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Chairman of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party since May 2016. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency since 1992. He previously served as Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2016 to 2020, Minister for Justice and Law Reform from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 2008 to 2011, Minister of State for Children from 2007 to 2008 and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 2004 to 2007. Early life 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. Political career 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 election since. In the 28th Dáil, he was Government Whip on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. In a 2004 reshuffle, Smith was appointed by Bertie Ahern as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with special responsibility for Food and Horticulture. Following the 2007 general election, Smith became Minister of State for Children. 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 2020. 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 targets. 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 1980s. The public received Smith's announcement poorly and it was reported outside Ireland as the country became "a laughing stock internationally".> Smith was then forced to defend his own scheme. Following the resignation of Dermot Ahern from the cabinet in January 2011, Smith was also appointed as Minister for Justice and Law Reform. Just before leaving office,