The low rate of registered farm partnerships in joint male and female ownership is an issue that Senator Victor Boyhan has called upon the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture to examine.
This call follows the creation of an action plan that was recently devised from the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture which examined gender equality in farming and the wider agri-food sector, and how to increase the visibility and status of women in agriculture.
Senator Boyhan said that women’s work on farms is often “invisible” and that they are rarely added as official partners on farms.
He said: “For me, that gives rise to concerns about equality and the sustainability for farms and farmers.
“Partnerships are key to helping the transfer of land to women and this is confirmed by research carried out by Teagasc.
“I want the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to further examine all the data and reports Teagasc has conducted on farm transfer and the options or indeed impediments for farm partnership and /or joint ventures,” Senator Boyhan added.
Senator Boyhan, who is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture told Agriland “for rural sustainability to occur, structures that set out to obstruct or frustrate women from farm partnerships and other models of meaningful collaboration must be challenged and reconstituted to imbue feelings of agency amongst farm women and young people.”
Without this, Senator Boyhan said “patterns of migration from the farm and rural communities along with rural isolation will pervade”.
Boyhan confirmed to Agriland his intention to raise the issue of farm partnership tax credits, inheritance taxes and farm transfer challenges and financial penalties with both the Minister of Finance, Michael McGrath and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
He said this is so farmers that opt to introduce a registered female farm partner or transfer farmland can be supported to do so.
The aim of such a tax credit or tax waiver, according to Senator Boyhan, would be to encourage a farmer enter into an agreement where at least 50% of the land is transferred to the entering partner over a specified period of time (in the case where there are already two partners then at least 30% of the land could be an option to be transferred).
Senator Boyhan confirmed he has written to the Cathaoirleach of the Oireachtas committee, Deputy Jackie Cahill T.D. for a discussion on the full implementation of the 12-point Action Plan agreed by the national dialogue on Women in Agriculture.
He also suggested that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine convene a series of thematic focused meetings in order to advance the key issues in the action plan.
“It is important that we as a committee ensure that the necessary measures are put in place that will ultimately lead to greater visibility and equity for women in farming and the agri-food industry,” Senator Boyhan concluded.