Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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118. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which his Department is working with Teagasc and other agencies to promote agricultural education and training programmes that actively encourage female participation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54979/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Teagasc operates as a non-commercial state agency under the remit of my Department.

Its programmes and activities are developed in conjunction with clients and partners, and overseen by an Authority that is representative of the main stakeholder groups in the agri-food sector.

Teagasc’s mission is to support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and the broader bioeconomy. Teagasc delivers this mission through three key pillars of activity: Research, Education and Advice.

The Teagasc Education Programme is a central pillar of Teagasc’s activities and a critical component of capacity building across the agri-food sector. Over 3,500 learners currently participate in Teagasc Further Education programmes. In addition, Teagasc supports delivery of degree programmes to 1,400 learners with various third level institutions.

Female participation numbers and trends in Teagasc Education programmes have been steadily increasing. Figures for the past five years show female participation growing from 856 participants in 2020 to 1,331 participants this year. Females comprised 28% of overall course completions in 2024 compared to 17% in 2020.

The numbers attending Teagasc courses have been boosted by schemes and supports currently available from my Department under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, which require eligible applicants to hold a recognised qualification in agricultural education. For example the Women Farmers’ Capital Investment Scheme is an important support to women farmers in the industry and offers a higher grant aid rate at 60% to those qualifying. These supports are complemented by a suite of strong national taxation measures.

My Department continues to work closely with Teagasc to maximise participation in its education and training programmes. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that we recently sanctioned Teagasc to recruit 12 additional Temporary Education Officers to provide training in new Adult Green Cert Programmes commencing in the period September 2025.