CAP Measures Important to Address Gender Imbalance

IFA Farm Family & Social Affairs Chair Alice Doyle said the measures in the next CAP to improve women’s participation in farming are an important development that will hopefully address gender imbalance and support more women to farm. 

“Ireland is lagging far behind our EU counterparts when it comes to the share of farms being managed or passed on to women. The most recent CSO figures showing that 13% of the agricultural workforce are women, compared with an EU average of 35%,” said Alice Doyle.

The package of measures in the 2023–2027 Strategic Plan to support more women to get involved in farming includes: 

1. Increased rate of grant aid of 60% for women aged 18-66 years under Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS).
2. Establishment of women-only Knowledge Transfer Groups, based on the need to address shared challenges.
3. A call for proposals to incentivise women’s participation in agriculture under European Innovation Partnerships (EIP).
4. Improved recording, collection, and reporting on gender data across all CAP schemes.
5. The National CAP Network will be leveraged to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.  This will include events and support for women to lead such activities.

Alice Doyle said that addressing gender inequality and increasing the opportunities for women to farm is essential to achieving sustainability in agriculture.