Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 March 2022
190. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered revising the State's CAP strategic plan to remove the proposed age limit on enhanced TAMS for women farmers. [16972/22]
View answerThe new CAP places a particular focus on generational renewal and on promoting the participation of women in the social and economic development of rural areas, with special attention to farming. Gender equality is also a key objective of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and a priority for me, as Minister.
I am pleased, therefore, to be proposing the highest level of direct supports for women farmers in any CAP programme in Ireland. In addition to the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) proposal, these include women-only Knowledge Transfer (KT) Groups; and a call under the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) initiative for proposals to examine women’s participation in agriculture.
On the new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP), the Department has been actively engaging with stakeholders throughout the process of developing the new plan. The SWOT analysis and Needs assessment helped to shape the CSP draft interventions that were then followed by a five-week public consultation in September 2021 with over 1,000 responses received.
The proposed On-Farm Capital investment Scheme is subject to the formal approval of the European Commission. As outlined in the draft CSP, it provides for a general grant rate of 40% for eligible investments. It is also proposed in the CSP that eligible young farmers and eligible women farmers, who meet the eligibility criteria may qualify for grant aid at a rate of 60%.
Eligible women farmers are those:
- Aged between 18 years of age and 66 at any time during the calendar year in which she submits an application for support;
- Meet the conditions for being head and having control of the holding;
- Meets the requirements for the appropriate training and/or skills required at the time of applications.
Applicants who do not meet the criteria above will remain eligible to submit an application under the On-Farm Capital investment scheme at the standard rate of 40%.
Measures in the On-Farm Capital investment scheme aim to balance the need to address the issues of both generational renewal and gender balance in farming. Measures in the CSP are complemented by the new stakeholder strategy for the Irish agri-food sector, Food Vision 2030, which recognises the important contribution of women to the sector's long-term sustainability and includes a number of actions to promote and improve gender balance at all levels. It also proposes holding a national dialogue on women in agriculture.
