Women will play more prominent role in the future of Irish dairy

Karen Smyth and Aoife Ladd are among the many farmers who believe women have a greater role to play in the future of Irish dairy. They talk with Kathleen O’Sullivan

Karen Smyth is a dairy farmer in Dunkerrin, Co Offaly.

Around 27% of the near 280,000 people working on farms in Ireland are female. Of the more than 130,000 farmholders, only 13% are female.

With fewer than half of farmholders having a succession plan in place, 83% of identified successors are male. This doesn’t sound too hopeful in the context of addressing the gender balance issue in agriculture.