Mr. John Keane:

As the spokesperson for an organisation with an almost 50:50 membership, all of the comments we make before the committee this evening are to try to get young people in and getting people onto farms. I think 12.5% of herd owners in the country are female while 5% are under the age of 35, and I think that figure is even smaller for women in agriculture. Where that needs to start is at the kitchen table. The idea that the son or grandson or whoever might be the person automatically assumed to take over is where the first part of the conversation needs to start. We need to create the narrative at home as much as anywhere else that we have equal opportunities for our sons or daughters coming after us.

The second piece is around education, ensuring that we are encouraging more young women into agricultural education and providing opportunities for them to take on those opportunities more widely in agriculture. The membership of our agricultural affairs committee is nearly half and half. Our young women representatives on that are constantly coming forward and saying, "Address the barriers that are there for young farmers and more of us will come through. Break down the barriers to young people and more of us young people and young women will see the opportunity that it creates in the sector".

On supports, improved access to TAMS is something we hope will improve the number of young females in the sector. Developing role models in the sector is also important. It does not matter what farming enterprise you are in or what gender you are, the more young role models in the sector, the more opportunities are provided for somebody to say, "I want to be like that. That is something I can pursue", alongside those supports. It is about the young people. Provide the support for the young people. If you have an organisation with 50:50 male and female members and there are more young women coming into it, provide them with the opportunity to take on the roles and they will take them on.