TAMS: Revised age limit 'recognises importance of women in farming'

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said the decision to raise the 60% Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) grant aid age limit to 66 for women “recognises the importance of women in farming”.

IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Committee chair, Alice Doyle, said that it will better support women in continuing farming until they reach retirement.

At last week’s AGM, the IFA had called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, to increase the age limit for women farmers under TAMS.

The average age of women farmers is 62 years old.

“This decision is a step in the right direction in terms of actively encouraging women to participate, while achieving more gender equality in agriculture and enabling the next generation of women farmers,” Doyle said.

The association said that its submission to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan outlined the need for an increase in the age limit as a key objective in obtaining greater gender equality.

It is considered an important factor to encourage more females to take on central roles in farm businesses, according to the IFA.

The contribution of women to Irish farming is hugely important, but only 12% of farmers are women, the association has said. It’s hoped that this figure will be increased with more positive decisions such as this one.

TAMS

Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) provide grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holding.

There are seven schemes under TAMS: