Women in Agriculture

The INHFA are part of the Women in Agriculture Stakeholder Group (WASG). This is an independent voluntary body made up of representatives from all the farm organisations in Ireland. The group was established in 2021 with the sole purpose of representing the interests of women in farming under the next Common Agricultural Policy (2023-2027). The WASG included a number of proposed CAP interventions in their CAP submission document, three of which were included in the Government approved CAP Strategy (2023-2027), in October this year.

These policies include:

A 60% Targeted Agriculture Modernization Scheme (TAMS) grant for women up to the age of 66 years.
The option of female-only knowledge Transfer Groups which they will receive a payment for.
A National Women in Agriculture Dialogue/Conference.

Aideen McGloin INHFA Sligo speaking at the INHFA AGM 2023

Sharon Cosgrove INHFA Mayo speaking at the INHFA AGM 2023

While we welcome the progress to date, there are still a number of policy changes that we feel need to be made to ensure the sector is more inclusive. These include; the education requirement attached to the 60% TAMS grant, access to pensions, access to maternity leave, and childcare as well as information campaigns to ensure women are aware of what they’re entitled to in the next CAP. The INHFA has played a vital role in this group and in helping to ensure that the work of women in farm families is recognised and financially acknowledged.

The INHFA and the WASG have been proactive in meeting and lobbying our elected representatives to continue to push for further policy changes. These changes will enable women to be recognised and acknowledged for the important work they are doing. As an organisation, we believe this is vital for the farming sector and rural Ireland. Research on this has shown that the lack of official recognition of women in agriculture has been associated with a large scale migration from rural areas, as women and daughters brought up on farms who feel unlikely to inherit land, seek opportunities in urban regions (Brody 1973; Walsh, O’Shea and Scharf, 2012).

The loss of such human capital, and the associated skills and resources inevitably threatens the continued viability of our farming sector and rural Ireland. The INHFA is a diverse organisation that actively welcomes and encourages female participation at every level of the organisation. The INHFA and the WASG are very open to taking on the views and ideas of our members who might have suggestions specific to their farm enterprise and regions.

Women in AG and young farmers are important to us. It is important that we continue to lobby for a sustainable development farm for future generations.

Women in Agriculture

Women in Agriculture play a fundamental role when formulating INHFA policy.