Ireland needs robust measures to bridge the gender gap on farms in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), say the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI).
The NCWI wants to see an enhanced role for women in the sector by developing female networks. In a submission to the Draft Agri-Food Strategy to 2030, the NWCI backed top-up payments of 15 per cent in the next CAP for Knowledge Transfer (KT) groups, which have three female participants.
Included in its submission, the NWCI provided an overview of women farming in Ireland and its studies show the industry remains male dominated.
All joint farm partnerships, where a women is a named partner, should receive a 60 per cent Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) grant, claims the NWCI.
A 35 per cent top-up is proposed for women farmers under the age of 40 in the next CAP, and the NCWI recommends a 25 per cent top up on the single farm payment for women over the age of 40, entering farming for the first time.
Ireland has the fifth lowest number of female farmers in Europe and there has been no increase in women’s ownership of land since 2010.
LSL News.