Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It will depend on the quality of the applications and projects that come forward. One of the benefits of the European innovation projects is the capacity to promote innovation and new ideas and to pilot programmes. One of the key objectives is to use it as an initiative where we will examine women's participation in agriculture. We will then assess them based on the quality of proposals and their impact.

The Food Vision 2030 strategy recognises the important contribution of women to the sector's long-term sustainability. The strategy supports an enhanced role for women in the sector and recommends the establishment of female farmers' networks and other supports to better understand and meet the needs of Irish women farmers. It also proposes holding a national dialogue on women in agriculture and I have asked my officials to prioritise that action this year.

Working with the Minister of States, Senator Hackett and Deputy Heydon, we have in place initiatives that can result in real progress in the years ahead in women becoming a much stronger proportion at farmer level or primary producer level, as well as the progress we have seen over recent years across the food sector. We hope to see these initiatives, which we will continue to drive on, make real progress. We are proud to be in a position to place a real emphasis on this.

See this speech in context