Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his appointment. It is with great and immense pride and deep responsibility that I stand here to make my maiden speech in Seanad Éireann. I am honoured to have been elected to the agriculture panel. The sector is the backbone of our country. It sustains our rural communities, drives local economies and shapes our national identity. I am also profoundly aware of the historic nature of my election. I am the first Sinn Féin Oireachtas Member for County Limerick in history. This is both a privilege and a challenge and I will embrace it wholeheartedly. Limerick is a county of rich agricultural tradition, from the dairy farming in the Golden Vale to beef, sheep and tillage enterprises across our rolling fields. The people of Limerick know the value of hard work, resilience and community but they also know the struggles of rising input costs, the uncertainty of markets and the persistent failure of successive governments to deliver for rural Ireland. I intend to be a strong voice for these farmers, fishers and rural communities, who feel left behind. As a Sinn Féin Senator, I will fight for fair prices for our farmers, for a CAP that genuinely supports family farms and for an agrifood sector that prioritises sustainability without sacrificing livelihoods. I will work to ensure that young farmers have access to land and support schemes that enable them to build a future in agriculture rather than being priced out of their own heritage.

I will also speak to the importance of gender representation. Women have always played a central role in Irish agriculture, whether on family farms, in agribusiness or as leaders in rural communities, yet our voices have too often been absent from the decision-making tables. As the only female Oireachtas Member for County Limerick, I take my role seriously not just as a representative, but as an advocate for the many women who contribute so much but who are too often overlooked. This Seanad must be a place where real change happens, where rural Ireland is not treated as an afterthought and where policies reflect the lived realities of the people we serve. I will work with colleagues across the political spectrum to ensure that fairness, equality and opportunity are at the heart of everything we do. I thank my constituents, my community, my colleagues here and my party for putting their trust in me. I will not let them down.