Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 December 2022
156. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the cultural barriers preventing women taking over family farms; the steps his Department will take to support women in taking over family farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60791/22]
View answerGender equality is a priority for Government. It is also a core principle of the European Union and the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) Regulations place a particular focus on promoting the participation of women in the socio-economic development of rural areas, with special attention to farming.
At a European level the number of women in farming has been slowly increasing. 2016 data suggests that, on average, around 30% of farms across the EU are managed by a woman, but with some considerable differences between Member States. The Census of Agriculture 2020 reported that just 13% of farm holders in Ireland are female.
I am very pleased that, for the first time, Ireland’s new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) includes specific measures aimed at increasing the participation of women in farming. Ireland’s CSP, which will deliver some €10bn to farm families over the next five years, includes innovative proposals to promote gender equality, including:
- An increased grant rate of 60% under the Capital Investment Scheme to fund investments by trained women farmers.
- The promotion of women-only Knowledge Transfer Groups.
- Improved recording and reporting of gender data and the leveraging of the National CAP Network to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.
- All CAP interventions will be developed with a gender-aware perspective to ensure there are no inherent barriers to women's participation.
- European Innovation Partnerships offer an ideal opportunity for the sector to develop initiatives that will promote women's participation in farming.
In addition, since 2015, my Department has provided support for rural female entrepreneurs under the ACORNS programme. This initiative involves the development and implementation of a tailored programme to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland.
Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, recognises the importance of gender equality to its long-term sustainability and includes actions to promote and improve gender balance.
It proposed holding a national dialogue on women in agriculture. I formally launched that conference last week and announced that former Tánaiste and Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, will chair the event on 1st February next year, St Brigid’s Day. The Conference will examine gender equality in farming and the agri-food sector generally and hear the views of women themselves on what more can be done on this important issue. The outcomes of the Conference will feed into future policy in this regard.
