International Year of the Woman Farmer: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20
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Teresa Costello (FF), Agricultural Panel

I want to commend Senator Boyhan on his motion. I do enjoy our chats about all things agriculture. The Senator is always very generous with his time and knowledge. As a member of the agriculture panel, I am often asked how a Tallaght girl made it onto the agriculture panel. What would a Tallaght girl know about agriculture? The answer is because my family roots are in Bohernabreena, just a brief ten minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tallaght village, where urban life fades into farmland, rivers, fields, forests and bogs. My childhood was spent in farmyards, running through fields and enjoying the freedom that rural life brings, which left me with a deep love and appreciation for agriculture. Bohernabreena has held on tightly to its farming traditions and rural identity. Even as Dublin expanded around it, families worked the land, supported their neighbours and built communities grounded in resilience and hard work. At the heart of all that were the women, who often went unrecognised but were central to family farms and rural life, managing homes and farms, raising families, caring for their livestock and helping keep communities going.
That is why the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer really matters. It gives proper recognition to women whose contribution to agriculture has too often been overlooked, despite the fact that farming simply would not function without them. Here in Ireland, as has been said, only 13% of farm holders are women, which shows there is still work to do around access, visibility and opportunity within the sector. I acknowledge the work of the Minister, and also the work of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, in recent years. Initiatives such as the women's farmer capital investment scheme with its enhanced grant supports, the national dialogue on women in agriculture, women-only knowledge transfer groups and the women in agriculture action plan were important and practical steps towards improving participation and recognition for women in farming. Those initiatives showed commitment to ensuring women are better supported across the agrifood sector. We must continue building on the progress because we also need to send a strong message to the young women, like Senator Brady's daughter, that agriculture is an exciting and rewarding career.
Modern farming is innovative and forward-looking.
It is about sustainability, climate action, science, technology, biodiversity and food security. Women are increasingly leading in areas such as regenerative farming, agribusiness and environmental management. Agriculture offers meaningful work connected to people, place and community. As someone from Tallaght, with roots in Bohernabreena, I am proud to speak about agriculture because it is part of our local story too. This Tallaght girl does know a bit about agriculture because I come from people who understood the value of land, the dignity of hard work and the strength of the community. As we mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we should honour the women who carried those traditions forward, support the women farming today and inspire the next generation to see agriculture not as something from the past, but as one of the most important and rewarding careers for the future.

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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