The minister made the comments this week as he met with Dairy Women Ireland at the Energy and Farm Diversification Show, Gurteen College, Co. Tipperary. He acknowledged the important contribution women make to the Irish agri-food sector and reiterated his commitment to supporting them in their roles.
“Advancing gender equality in agriculture has been a key objective of mine and I am proud of the progress that has been made to date. This includes the introduction of specific measures under the current CAP Strategic Plan, progressing the various actions under Food Vision 2030, as well as continuing to support the successful ACORNs female entrepreneur programme. However, it is important that we continue to engage to find solutions that afford women in the sector the visibility and recognition they deserve.”
He continued: “In the 13 State boards under my department, the number of women on boards has increased from 30 to 56 since I was appointed minister. I have appointed and reappointed 50 women to these boards. At the time of my appointment two boards out of 12 had reached the 40 per cent gender target, whereas now nine out of 13 have reached this target. All boards are asked to nominate both male and female candidates for roles and I will continue to progress this across all boards,” he said.
He added: "We all recognise the importance of gender equality to the long-term sustainable future of the sector. Last year’s National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture and resulting Action Plan illustrate the willingness of stakeholders to work together to effect change in this area. I am pleased to hear that the Women in Agriculture Action Plan, arising from the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture, is progressing well since I launched it in January. I look forward to receiving a formal progress report from the working group in due course. Positive engagement with farm representative bodies such as Dairy Women Ireland is key to achieving meaningful progress for women farmers in Ireland.”
In recognition of the valuable opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and networking provided by the annual Dairy Women Ireland conference, Minister McConalogue pledged funding to support the 2024 event.
“I remain committed to improving gender balance at all levels of the agri-food sector and to building on current achievements, including 60 per cent TAMS rates for female farmers and working towards at least 40 per cent female representation on State boards under my remit. “Future efforts in this area will be informed by the lived experiences of women active in agriculture and evidence-based policy proposals arising from research projects such as HERSELF and GENFARMS, which have been funded by my department.”