Womanpower
The Women in Dairy conference, which took place last month, is another example of womanpower coming to the fore in Irish agriculture.
The annual conference proves beyond doubt that there is a huge demand among the female-farmer and broader agri-related population for gender-focussed initiatives. Teagasc is front and centre in developing women’s discussion groups around the country. The co-ops are also coming on board. Tirlán co-op members recently unanimously introduced a raft of rule changes to rejuvenate their representative structures. Among those changes is specific reference to improving the male-to-female ratio on Tirlán’s representative structures. The initiative won’t change the Irish agricultural world, which remains relatively patriarchal, by omission, if not commission. But change is in the air and is not only welcome but long overdue.