Agriculture is Seymour Crawford's most cherished topic.
The party's deputy spokesman, he raised the issue at every opportunity in the last Dáil.
The 57-year-old bachelor, a dairy farmer, is from Aghabog in Monaghan and has been a member of Fine Gael since he was 19.
He came to national politics through farming and the IFA, which he joined in 1965.
He had a high profile in agriculture in the 1980s as chairman of the European Commission's beef and veal advisory committee.
He was approached to stand for national election by the Fine Gael leader, Dr Garret FitzGerald. In 1989 he withdrew his name from a Fine Gael selection convention because it was held on a Sunday and was against his religion as a Presbyterian.
He is an elder of the Newbliss Presbyterian Church.
In 1992 he was elected to the Dáil on his first attempt. He has been a member of Monaghan County Council since 1991.
He is a regular speaker in the Dáil and, despite the impression he gives of a mild-mannered country TD, he has been sharp on agricultural issues and particularly excoriating of the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh.
He had a brush with the law in 1996 when he was fined £100 for speeding.
