In Dublin Castle on Saturday last, following a Presidential campaign that most will agree was barely a contest, Michael D Higgins delivered his acceptance speech following his re-election as President of Ireland. There were a number of lines that stood out to me in his speech, most notably this one: “A real Republic is one where every person is encouraged and supported to participate fully and where every person and community is treated with dignity and respect.”

We have seen a lot of change in recent years with the country voting strongly in favour of a more accepting and welcoming society in terms of the personal choices that people living here make in their lives. Michael D Higgins also called out that his election was a reflection of how we want to be perceived as a nation at home and abroad; Ireland as a role model in an increasingly divided world.

The Women and Agriculture Conference, supported by FBD Insurance, was a showcase for female role models. I am blessed to have many strong role models in my own life and on page eight this week, Maria Moynihan speaks to one of those, Aisling Meehan, our Irish Farmers Journal solicitor, and my friend. I first met Aisling when we were both successful in being selected for Nuffield Scholarships back in 2011. We travelled to New Zealand together and I have relied on her good guidance sitting around the kitchen table on many occasions since.

I also, thankfully, had the great pleasure of meeting her mother Maureen. Aisling delivered her final Nuffield presentation just a few weeks before Maureen’s passing and I was probably one of the few people in the room that was aware of what was happening at home and just how difficult being there was for her. I thought to myself; this woman can do anything. Watching Aisling grow her business since then, I have no doubt in my head that the positive role model that was Maureen Meehan has played a huge part in that success.

Since I presented the results of the IFA diversity survey at the Women and Agriculture Conference last week, I have had a lot of people contact me in relation to succession and the roles that women play on farms. I look forward to exploring these conversations more in the coming weeks and if anyone would like to get in contact, I would really like to hear your opinions.

The survey results themselves surprised me somewhat in terms of the uniformity of answers between the male and female respondents with ‘lack of time’ being the overriding barrier for either sex to get involved in a policy position within a farm organisation. Some things were less surprising, 45% had a successor identified but of that 45%, 72% had identified a male successor with 37% in agreement that inheritance patterns were a barrier to women’s choices about their farming careers.

There was some commentary since the conference suggesting that the issue of diverse inclusion in farm organisations has been resolved as the number of woman on the National Council has increased. The women that spoke on the panel are role models for the ones that must follow. We are a long way from finished. CL

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