Lakeland launches campaign to increase number of female shareholders

The co-op movement in general has "struggled to encourage women to become involved at representative and board levels", Lakeland said.

Pictured at Virginia Show was Susan Casey, Lakeland Dairies Teagasc Joint Programme; Niall Matthews, chairman; and Sinéad Brady, Lakeland Agri.

Lakeland Dairies has launched a targeted campaign to encourage more women and other family members to become involved as shareholders in the co-op.

Currently, some 12% of herd owners in the country are women but this does not reflect the huge - often unseen - work carried out in farm businesses by women, the co-op acknowledged.