Land ownership, succession and the role of women in farming were some of the topics covered during the first session of the Women & Agriculture conference.

Over 650 delegates listened to talks by a number of experts and academics at the conference, which is taking place at the Knightbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath.

Professor Mary Daly from the Royal Irish Academy gave an account of the massive historical changes rural women have seen over the last century. She explained how far women have come and how traditional roles have altered over the years.

Pre-nuptial agreements

Professor Sally Shorthall of Queen’s University in Belfast looked at the current roles of female farmers and farmers’ wives, particularly. She said that divorce threatens the economic viability of farms and that there has been a rise in pre-nuptial agreements.

Next to the stage was Dr Anne Cassidy from the NUI Galway’s sociology department. Her research examines what happens to the children who don’t inherit the farm, looking at the emotional implications. “Succession needs to be discussed sooner rather than later” was the key message of her talk. She added that support is needed for those who do not inherit the farm.

Land ownership

Dr Tanya Watson from Teagasc was the final speaker of the morning session. She shared her research into female property ownership – women own just 12% of farms. Out of these landowners, 50% are over the age of 55 and 47% work full-time on the farm.

This afternoon we will be hearing from Austin Finn, who will give an overview of Macra’s land mobility service. We will also meet the UN Year of Family Farming regional winners, and Aideen Mooney and Gillian Sweeney will explain PRSI entitlements.

Follow @IrishCountryLiv on Twitter for more updates.