Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Of course it is welcome that more female vets are coming out of the agricultural colleges, but the reality is that it is to do with the points system. When one looks at the very top achievers when it comes to third level entry points, one sees that they are often women rather than men. Just because a person has obtained an excellent number of points - regardless of being male or female - it does not mean that he or she will become an excellent vet or doctor. I do not want to digress.

I am glad the Minister referred to messaging. This is about tokenism rather than any actual impact it would have. The idea that when a farmer is deciding who to leave his or her farm to, he or she will decide to leave it to his or her niece rather than his or her nephew because she would get a better TAMS grant is ridiculous. What is not ridiculous - it is very real - is that if a farmer has a son and a daughter who are interested in farming, and both of them inherit the farm and are over a certain age, one of them will get a far greater grant rate than the other if they apply under this scheme. Not alone is this a little ridiculous, but it may not be lawful. I presume the Equal Status Act applies to the activities of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as well.

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