Karen Walsh: I've been a farmer's wife all my life but now find I won't get a pension

While farmers' wives may have spent most of their working life on the farm, they often find themselves near retirement age and in an extremely vulnerable position.

The farmer’s spouse often will not receive a direct income for the work they carry out and this can result in situations where their hard work is unrecognised by the Department of Social Protection.

Dear Karen,

I have been farming with my husband for the past 40 years. I had a secretarial job before I got married and reared three children (who are all grown up now) and ran a dairy farm with my husband and milked cows.