Mayo women-in-farming project meets with EU Agriculture Commissioner

THE team behind Making Farms Work for Women attended the National Ploughing Championships where they met European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen and discussed the work underway with women farmers in north Mayo.

Commissioner Hansen attended the final day of the 95th National Ploughing Championships, visiting stands and meeting agricultural organisations. More than 243,000 people attended the three-day event in Screggan, Tullamore, making it a major meeting point for farmers, agricultural organisations and policymakers from across Ireland and Europe.

For the Making Farms Work for Women team, the week was an opportunity to bring the issues being raised by women on farms in Mayo directly into those mainstream agricultural conversations.

The project is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) led by Claire Brennan and co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the European Union. It received €650,000 in funding under the Gender Balance in Farming theme.

Over three years, the project is working alongside 60 women farmers in north Mayo, looking at challenges including livestock handling, machinery and equipment, physically demanding jobs, access to training and practical ways of making everyday farm work easier and safer.

Said Claire Brennan: “One of the most important things for us at the ploughing was being able to bring what women are telling us on farms in north Mayo into conversations with people who can influence agriculture at a national and European level.

“Meeting Commissioner Hansen gave us the chance to explain that our project is very practical. We are spending time on farms, asking women what is difficult, what they were never taught, what equipment does not work well for them and what would genuinely make the working day easier.

“These issues are not unique to Mayo. The response we had at the ploughing showed us that women from all over Ireland recognise many of the same challenges. What we learn through this pilot has the potential to inform a much wider conversation about how farming could work for women.”

Members of the project team also took part in panel discussions during the championships, speaking about the work being carried out with women farmers and the importance of involving women themselves in identifying problems and developing workable solutions.

Throughout the three days, the team spoke with farmers, agricultural organisations, public representatives and policymakers, while also asking both women and men about the challenges they see on farms. The commissioner was also informed of the need for maternity support for women who farm and this was led by the Irish ambassador for Women in Agriculture, Carina Roseingrave.

The conversations come as Making Farms Work for Women moves further into its programme of farm visits and practical training. Recent workshops have included quad handling and reversing, with further training planned across the west and beyond.

The project will use the experiences gathered from participating farms to develop and test practical responses, including training, improved working methods and solutions around tools and equipment.