International Year of the Woman Farmer: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20
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Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel

I welcome the Minister and props to Senator Boyhan for bringing forward this motion and getting cross-party support as well for it.
It is an important opportunity to discuss the important role that women have played and the vital contribution they have made as farmers to agriculture in Ireland, often without the recognition that they are due. It is also an important opportunity to spotlight the gender barriers that women face in farming and reaffirm our commitment to help women overcome these barriers and to thrive in that sector.
The "HER-SELF" or Highlighting pathways to Empower Rural women to have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming report, launched last year, notes that the agriculture sector needs to attract women in great numbers to ensure future sustainability. However, it identifies a number of concerning trends, including a stark gender disparity in terms of farm ownership. Only 13% of women in Ireland are farm holders. Women farm holders were also found to be disproportionately associated with the lower earning and smaller-scale farms. Additional barriers to women's participation highlighted by the report include: limited access to land; succession challenges, which the Minister will be aware of; and balancing farm work, off-farm employment and caring responsibilities. Often women undertake a lot of carrying responsibilities in the household as well as the additional farm work.
In light of these barriers, particularly the succession challenges, it is vital that we prioritise supporting young women in particular who wish to establish or take over an existing farm-family business. Macra na Feirme is a voluntary organisation. It represents thousands of rural youth and young farmers across Ireland. It has called for the needs of rural youth to be better reflected in policy in this respect by investing in rural communities to ensure they are attractive places for young people to live and work. It advocates for a more holistic approach to investment in rural communities and rural youth to foster vibrant local communities encompassing agricultural sports for young farmers, investment in housing, better access to GP, mental health supports and local amenities.
I also want to briefly acknowledge the work of the women in agriculture action plan, including its drive to promote and normalise female succession, and the steps contained within the plan to increase the promotion of agriculture as a viable career for women and young girls, including through the use of more inclusive imagery and education materials. It is all so vital. You need to see it to be it. We know that representation matters and you cannot be what you cannot see. Greater inclusion and empowerment of women is vital to ensure the sustainability of our agriculture section so I commend that work and look forward to seeing the implementation of that particular report later this year.
I will finish by acknowledging the experience and background of my party leader in this area, Deputy Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns is an organic farmer. The Deputy has an MSc in organic horticulture and has an organic vegetable farm with her mum, where they promote sustainable agriculture. I also believe that Deputy Cairns is the first party spokesperson on agriculture to also transition to become party leader.
In many ways, Deputy Cairns has broken many ceilings. That is another one and I note her contribution in that space.

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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