Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Publicly funded agricultural research in Ireland primarily occurs through the competitive, public-good research funding provided by my Department, and through the core grant in aid that Teagasc receives on an annual basis. To a lesser extent, other state agencies and government departments, such as Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, among others, also support agricultural research. Funding can also be secured through the Europe research programme termed Horizon Europe, specifically under Cluster 6 ‘Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’ and the associated Soil Mission.

For my own Department, over €245 million has been committed since 2010 to research conducted across the agriculture, food, forestry and bioeconomy sectors. The research is currently supported through five strands comprising;

1. Thematic Research Strand,

2. an International Outreach Strand,

3. a Strategic Studies Strand,

4. an Industry Focused Strand, and

5. Coordination and Support Activities. Examples of activities include running large research calls every second year under the Thematic Research Strand.

In addition, my Department engages internationally under such initiatives as the US – Ireland R&D Partnership, or the Ireland – New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism in Agriculture and Climate.

In developing the specifications and topics for research calls, cognisance is taken of a variety of issues including EU policy developments. Therefore, the 2023 Thematic Call included topics such as agricultural systems with reduced reliance on chemical fertiliser or pesticides, in line with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy.

In order to boost innovation and technology adoption from the research funded, my Department requires all research proposals to include knowledge transfer plans and an impact statement. In addition, projects are encouraged to build relationships to promote the uptake of new solutions through an enhanced Agricultural Knowledge & Innovation System (AKIS). This will be an important feature in the implementation of our CAP Strategic Plan, and will enhance the transfer of research outputs onto farms.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 966 and 967 together.

The Deputy may already be aware of the various supports and interventions currently being provided by my Department via the CAP and also, the "Highlighting pathways to Empower Rural women to have Sustainable & Equitable Livelihoods in Farming", (HER-SELF) research project.

Food Vision, our stakeholder strategy for the agri-food sector, recognises the importance of gender balance to the long-term sustainable future of the sector and includes actions to promote and improve gender balance at all levels, such as:

• Promote women’s participation in farming through Knowledge Transfer Groups.
• Capture and publish gender data on policy implementation.
• Represent the sector in the development of the new National Women and Girl’s Strategy
• Promote/improve gender balance in the sector, particularly senior management & board level.
• Promote & support women’s networks and mentoring programmes, eg. ACORNS and
• Host a National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture.

I hosted the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture, on 1 February this year, St Brigid's Day. The event was chaired by former Tánaiste and Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, and it examined gender issues in farming and the wider agri-food sector generally encompassing themes of Leadership and Visibility, Education and Awareness, Sustainability and Legal & Financial. The areas of cultural bias and under-representation was a strong thread throughout the event and opportunities to improve in these areas was discussed in depth via the panel discussions and workshop sessions.

Panellists representing CERES, the women in agri-business leadership network, and the the Agri-Food Diversity & Inclusion Forum (AgDIF) contributed to the discussion on increased inclusivity and diversity in the sector. The outcome of the Dialogue is currently being compiled into a report that will inform policy in this regard in the coming years. My Department will work with stakeholders to develop an action plan to progress these and other issues raised via the Dialogue.

I am committed to achieving better gender representation on state boards. I am delighted to see several appointments secured by highly qualified female candidates in 2023 and to report that we are well on track to achieve the 40% gender representation target set for the 12 state boards under my remit.

I look forward to continuing to work with the various stakeholders to progress these important issues.