International Year of the Woman Farmer: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I am very proud to put my name to this motion as well. I thank Senator Boyhan for including me in it. When I was looking into what I was going to say, I was thinking back to the opening comments from Senator Daly. My grandmother was also a farmer, and she loved farming and spending time on the farm, but she also was burdened by a lot of children. I should not be saying "burdened", but she ended up having to do both. She did not drive, so she spent a lot of time at home, whereas my grandfather would have gone off to the mart. She had all those other responsibilities that my grandad did not have.
I welcome what the Minister, Deputy Heydon, has done. I was looking at this Highlighting pathways to Empower Rural women to have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming, HER-SELF, report, which is a brilliant report. I know the Minister’s Department was instrumental in commissioning it. I thank the authors, Dr. Martina Roche, Dr. Noirín MacNamara and Dr. Mary Anne Hurley. They highlighted ways to empower rural women to have sustainable and equitable livelihoods in farming. They pointed to some of the barriers that have come up in this motion and ways to address them. As has been said here, they looked at policy overhauls and aligning tax and legal succession. Looking at CAP payments was also suggested. The vast majority of people receiving these payments are men. There is also the cultural validation aspect. As Senator Collins said, if you cannot see it, you cannot be it. It was great to hear about Senator Brady’s daughter, Ellie, and that she has that interest in farming.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-20