‘Push on towards your goals.’ That’s the advice of Eimear McGuinness, Manager of Donegal Livestock Mart, to women keen to get ahead in the farming and agri-business world.
“A thick skin helps. After all it’s a male-dominated environment,” said McGuinness who farms with her husband, Gillen, specialising in sheep and a pedigree Angus herd.
I do believe that women bring a calm, well-thought-out approach to most situations which men lack.
“I will probably get flack for that statement but I do believe that women have the edge in that regard, which is important,” she said.
“More ladies are needed to get involved and I think most organisations now realise this.”
McGuinness said that more opportunities in agriculture and agri-business are now becoming available to women.
“I recommend if you have an interest in this area, go to agricultural college, as this helps. That is my one regret, that I didn’t.”
McGuinness spoke recently at the launch of North West Women in Farming in Donegal.
“I suppose there are a lot of able young women who were just like me and maybe felt that they could not do something,” said McGuinness.
Hannah McNelis, who organised the inaugural meeting, expressed delight at the turnout of 55 women.
Our panel of five speakers did a great job of sharing their own experiences in their respective careers.
“They sparked discussion on topics such as education; returning to work after raising children; the challenges of being a female farmer; also sharing their own backgrounds and love of agriculture,” said McNelis.
The group, which is in the process of organising a follow-up gathering, met at the Irish Cancer Society Donegal Relay for Life as a team, helping to raise funds for the charity.
McGuinness said a lot of women just need the right opportunity or the confidence to work and follow something they want and think they would be good at. North West Women in Farming would help them, she said.
“Paperwork is now so difficult and the group offers them an outlet to get help from like-minded ladies.”
She said the inaugural meeting made for a great night. “Hopefully it is the start of something that will grow.”
As well as chairing Donegal Marts Association, McGuinness is on the board of management of Commons Schools in Killybegs and the Chairperson of Killybegs Town Council.
She relishes the opportunity to get involved in community ventures. “I felt it was good to get involved as I’m not from the town originally and I love it now.
“I enjoy organising different events in the town and I suppose it gives me a sense of pride when they go well and succeed. However, it’s also time consuming and involves making difficult decisions so I suppose you have to be cut out for it.
“Maybe I’m a busy fool – who knows but I enjoy it. If no one did it, nothing would get done and I like to be busy.”
While McGuinness, in 2015, initially declared an interest in running for Renua in the last general election, she then withdrew her name.
“I had been approached at the last election to run and had a lot of support but I quickly learned that while I knew plenty about the farming sector, there was a lot I had to learn about every other sector.
“I felt that I was not ready for that world. Maybe some day. I still, however, keep our present politicians very busy with all things farming-related.
“They are currently looking at the insurance hikes that have been imposed on marts, which are scandalous.”
Asked about the recent accident at the mart in Co. Clare, McGuinness said she couldn’t comment on the specifics as she didn’t know all the facts.
However, she said that last year Donegal Mart had to install safety areas and upgrade its safety measures in the yard.
It doesn’t matter what precautions you take at times. A mart can be a dangerous place as animals coming in will be nervous of new places.
“Staff are the only people who should be near the animals until they are penned.
“Unfortunately farmers still travel up and down passageways in marts to view cattle so it’s very hard to police.
“In most marts, staff are instructed to pen wild cattle in high pens, and the cattle can often be sent home if they are deemed too wild to go to the ring. But it’s often hard to know this until it’s too late. Animals are unpredictable, as we all know.
“Marts are crippled with rising insurance premiums as the whole system is wrong.
“Personally, I would find owners responsible and then farmers might not be so quick to take wild animals out to a mart.”