Farm women want equality

FARM women want dual IFA membership, with the husband and wife holding the IFA card rather than the man of the house.

This is one of the points coming through strongly from meetings held to progress IFA’s three year Equality Initiative, which targets farmers’ wives and women in farming to become more aware of the workings of the IFA ,and to get more directly involved in its activities at all levels.

Mary Carroll, IFA Equality Officer, said it is acknowledged that women are now contributing up to 65% of the labour input on farms, but only 10% of women in this country are farm owners and the level of participation in farm organisations by women is extremely low.