Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) I am actively promoting gender equality, through several new initiatives, such as:

• An increased grant rate of 60% under the Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) to fund on-farm investments by trained women farmers (TAMS 3). Tranche 5 of the WFCIS received 225 applications, of which 147 approvals have been issued and 58 applications are in progress.
• The inclusion of an option to establish women-only groups in the current Knowledge Transfer Programme.
• Improved recording and reporting of gender data and the leveraging of the National CAP Network to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.
• A European Innovation Partnership open call in April 2024 for proposals on “innovative approaches to support greater gender balance in farming in Ireland”, which led to the announcement in October of €650,000 in funding for the "Making Farms Work for Women" project.

Ireland is only one of two member states to have specific measures under their CAP Strategic Plan to improve gender equality.

Additionally, I support rural female entrepreneurs by funding the ACORNS programme providing tailored support to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. Up to 50 new female entrepreneurs can participate in ACORNS annually, with ACORNS 11 programme due to launch in August this year. This initiative has supported over 400 women in rural Ireland over the last ten years. The programme aims to address the skills, enterprise and capability gaps that female entrepreneurs can face and takes into account the barriers which often limit entrepreneurial activity in rural areas.

Food Vision 2030, Ireland’s stakeholder-led strategy for the agri-food sector, recognises the importance of gender balance to the long-term sustainable future for primary producers. Food Vision includes actions to promote and improve gender balance at all levels within the sector, and included a commitment to host a National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture.

The Dialogue was held in February 2023 and explored gender equality in farming and the agri-food sector generally. The outcomes and recommendations were compiled into a report and action plan. A working group oversees implementation of the action plan and has delivered a number of "Women in Agriculture" events, an online portal and a "Women in Agriculture Studies Excellence Award" in UCD, sponsored by my Department.

In addition, my Department commissioned research to inform future policies that are focused and targeted to achieve meaningful change for women in agriculture. For example, the HERSELF project report, to establish a baseline position on women in agriculture and provide evidence to underpin future policy.

I will continue to liaise with the relevant stakeholders to promote and support gender balance in agriculture.