The IFA farm family and social affairs chair Alice Doyle has urged female farmers to make PRSI contributions when carrying out tax returns this year.

She said that they should take the time to check what PRSI contributions they have made to date and and plan ahead for their pensions.

“As we approach the closing part of the year, consideration should be given to reviewing your PRSI record of contributions to date.”

“This is important in terms of planning for your future entitlement to the State pension and may provide the opportunity to enhance future benefits,” she said.

Doyle added that many female farmers who are retiring discover that they are not entitled to the State contributory pension, as they have not made sufficient PRSI contributions.

This, she said, is despite having worked on the farm all their lives.

“It is important to be aware of this issue when planning for the future,” she said.

Number of female farmers

The number of female farmers in Ireland increased marginally in the 10 years to 2020, with 18,101 female farmers in Ireland, the census of agriculture for 2020 showed.

The number is up just 1% on 2010 and women are the farm holders of 13.4% of farms. The Central Statistics Office (CSO), defines a farm holder as the legal owner of a family farm.

In practical terms, the 1% increase equates to an increase of 756 farmers between 2010 and 2020.

The standout figure in the census shows that the majority of these women (501) are under the age of 35, a 78.5% increase in young female farmers in the 10 years. This compared with a 1.9% increase in male farmers in the same period.

There was a 1.1% increase in female farmers aged between 35 and 44, while the number of male farmers in this age category fell by 26.3% in the same time period.

In the 10 years, both genders saw drops in the numbers farming between the ages of 45-54 and 55-64.

Unsurprisingly, there was an increase in both genders aged over 65, with 868 more female farmers over this age compared with 10 years ago and 6,628 more male farmers over this age.