This is a subscriber-only article
Did being chair of the IFA National Farm Family committee live up to your expectations? Yes it did. It was a huge experience and a right rollercoaster from the first day. When you become chair, you have to hit the ground running and that was something I didn’t realise. There’s people to meet right across the country – rural families, TDs and officials of all sorts as our committee deals with topics that are critical for farm families.
What were the key issues you worked on?
Over my time, we had four key areas of work: mental health awareness, farm safety, pensions and the Fair Deal scheme.
On mental health we were the main instigators of the Green Ribbon campaign and got great support for our walks. We worked with Coillte, See Change and Mental Health Ireland to bring these walks and the reason for them to the attention of the public.
The walks were really well supported and one of our early promoters was country music singer Mike Denver. I’d like to think this campaign helped lessen the stigma around mental health.
Farm safety is always on the agenda of the Farm Family committee and it’s an issue that concerns everyone. We set up the Save Lives campaign with the aim of encouraging people to think farm safety from the moment they open the kitchen door.
So, for instance, there were Save Lives stickers on fertiliser bags, on tractors and in marts. But we can’t sit back on this issue and there will always be a need to create awareness around farm safety.
What’s happening regarding the state pension?
The state pension has been an area of great concern to farm women. Over the years, the Farm Family committee has done tremendous work in highlighting how unfair the system is to women. It has achieved success in having farm women recognised for the work they do on farms, which has helped secure a portion, if not all, of a state pension for them. The issue is still ongoing. The one piece of advice I’d give every farm woman is to check your contribution history with the Social Welfare office in Buncranna.
We are continuously lobbing to change the averaging system, which is used to calculate pension entitlements. While we have had partial success, there’s more to be done.
You and the committee put huge work into the Fair Deal scheme?
Yes, we did. Fair Deal is another big issue for us. I’ve worked with two ministers on this – Helen McEntee and Jim Daly – and both realised the rules around Fair Deal needed to be sorted out. But, to be honest, progress has been far too slow.
Last September, Jim Daly announced that we would get a cap on assets for a three-year period, similar to what currently applies on a private residence. But it hasn’t gone through cabinet as of yet as it is awaiting a decision by the Attorney General that all is in order.
Once cabinet agrees, the legislation can be brought forward, but until then the old rules still apply. However, I would be hopeful that the heads of bill should be ready by the end of March.
Personally, I put huge work into this and travelled to many counties to personally lobby TDs on the issue. I knew a phone call or an email wasn’t going to convince them. You needed to be face to face.
I remember driving to one constituency three times to get a meeting on Fair Deal. The first time the TD said it couldn’t be done, he was on the same line the second time, but I had him convinced on the third attempt. We will succeed but it has to be pushed.
What was the workload like as chair of the Farm Family committee?
The committee meets four to five times a year and I chair those meetings. I also sat on the COPA Women’s Committee in Brussels, which plays a big role in improving the lot of women living in rural areas. As committee chair, I had to visit all the county executives to let them know what the committee was doing and get their support. It meant a lot of driving but I never minded that.
Then there was all the lobbying, media work and attendance at the IFA executive committee meetings. There was never a dull moment.
How important was family support in helping you do the job?
My family got used to it and I had their support all the time. I couldn’t have done it without them. So a special thanks to my husband Seamus, my children Craig and Tegan and my parents for backing and supporting me all the way. I also want to thank my committee members and the staff of the IFA, especially Geraldine and Eleanor for all their support.
There’s now six women on the IFA executive council, very different to when you were there? Yes, it certainly is. For the last four years I was the only woman on the IFA executive council and I didn’t have any problems with it.
I believe it’s up to women to put themselves forward, the drive has to be in them. If I didn’t have the drive, I would never have made it to council. It’s great to see so many women breaking through as county chairs.
What is your personal highlight after four years as chair of the Farm Family?
I suppose it’s knowing that I’ve been of use to so many people and that they were happy with the work I did. Whether it was on pensions or the Fair Deal scheme, it was great to solve problems for people.
Where next for Maura Canning?
That’s still to be figured out but right now I’m secretary of Galway National Ploughing Association. Last year I was urged to do a bit of ploughing and despite having no experience, I qualified for Tullamore and came fourth out of 12 in the All-Ireland and I couldn’t believe it. So life is full of surprises and I’m sure there’s still a few waiting for me. CL
SHARING OPTIONS: