Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the new group and it is brilliant to see. I totally agree with what Ms Crowley has just said. Education is vital for all of this to change. It is not just about changing attitudes in the farming sectors. Attitudes need to change right across the board.

I just want to put it out there in response to Deputy Leddin's remarks that I believe Tipperary is leading the way in that we have chairpersons in the north and south Tipperary Irish Farmers Association, respectively, Imelda Walsh and Erica O'Keeffe, who are there before us leading the way.

I have spent 40 years in and around the farming sector. I have no doubt about the figures from the CSO about the 70,000 women because I have seen for 40 years how hard they work on farms and they continue to do so. As Ms Quinn-Mulligan has said, when somebody is sitting on that seat the tractor, does not know if it is a female or a male who is turning the key.

The freedom of information figures show that just 4% of TAMS payments are made to women. The group is proposing 60% of TAMS grants for all female farmers. In what way is the group working to bring that around?

This committee has heard before about the organic sector in Ireland and that it is lagging behind in terms of progress. It was reported recently that approximately 25% of licensed organic operators and women. Will the witnesses explain to the committee what they believe are the reasons this percentage of female participation is vastly above the percentage of overall female representation in farming?

I would be interested if the witnesses could expand their views on the issue of succession, which is predominantly along the male side of the family. What are the witnesses' views on tackling the traditions, which the witnesses touched on a while back, as well as the technical aspects such as the CAP and overall policy?

Before I finish I must say I believe the group will have widespread support from the committee in achieving what it is out to achieve, and I think I can speak for all of the committee here. As Senator Daly has said, their male counterparts could take a lesson from that group whereby if everybody would work together, it would be easier to progress things along. It is easier for a committee to support people if everybody is singing from the one hymn sheet. I congratulate the group and I offer the witnesses the best of luck and continued support going forward.