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The National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture was held in the Midlands Hotel Portlaoise. I could not attend without the support of Tim and Colm.
It’s all hands on deck during calving and one person down puts pressure on the team.
I got as much of my calf-rearing work done as I could before leaving my duties to the men.
Tim filled the car with diesel and Colm handed me a coffee. It was strange to have this gathering midweek, at the busiest time for many farmers.
That said, the model of the family farm was acknowledged and the need to champion the role of women on farms was driven home by the chair of the dialogue, former Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan.
The current Minister, Charlie McConalogue, spoke of St Brigid and her legacy as the patron saint of livestock. Apparently it was in her honour that the day was chosen. He said he wanted to take the role of women on farms out of the shadows and to do more on gender equality.
Supports
There were a lot of women present who were working in agribusiness, some may also be farmers. Still, I worried that the voice of full-time farming women was possibly absent.
The Department officials assured the crowd that there would also be engagement with the farm organisations and groups such as Dairy Women Ireland (DWI) and the Women in Agriculture Stakeholder Group (WASG).
It is clear that there will be extra opportunities and supports for women if we are focused about what we need.
It is paramount that historical qualifications and a lifetime of working on the farm is recognised by the decision-makers.
There were two discussion panels with young, vibrant women who were leaders in their fields – Caroline Brocquel, CEO of Bord Iascaigh Mhara; Karen Brosnan, management consultant and CERES co-founder; Siobhán Talbot, group managing director of Glanbia plc; Maura Farrell associate professor at UCG; Aoife Forde, suckler farmer and Teagasc adviser; Ciara Lynch, dairy farmer and chair of DWI; and Edna Curley, principal of Mountbellew Agricultural College. They were clear that more recognition was needed for women and also that barriers were sometimes of women’s own making.
Succession
The need for a succession plan on farms was emphasised. Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon encouraged women to champion farm safety.
There was a strong view that men in agriculture needed to be in the room too. We then broke into workshops.
I joined Sinéad McPhillips, assistant secretary at the Department of Agriculture, in the workshop on Leadership and Visibility.
A formidable lady, our thoughts were well placed with her. A report will be complied to advance policy in supporting women in agriculture.
As I was returning from the workshop, I got a text from Tim to say that Padraig Walshe had died suddenly (RIP). Could it even be true, with Padraig being the same age as ourselves?
I thought of his devoted wife, Ella, and his adult children Julieanne, Catherine, Elma and Pat. I headed for home. I remembered all the times we called to their home at Bishopswood – especially before the motorway took them off the Cork-Dublin road.
Padraig, a progressive dairy farmer, was almost always in the farmyard in those days. He’d stride across the yard as if he’d all the time in the world, gesturing towards the back door.
There would always be fresh baking and Ella would have the kettle on with a gushing welcome. Shock and deep sadness don’t begin to express the feelings of the farming community at the loss of Padraig.
He travelled the highways and byways of Ireland and beyond during his time as Macra president, IFA president and COPA president. He was one of Ireland’s first Nuffield Scholars. At the time of his untimely death he was chair of Farm Business Developments plc and a director of the FBD Group, among other things. He was a community man, a GAA enthusiast and most certainly a family man.
Despite his towering presence and hardline negotiating techniques on behalf of farmers, his six grandchildren melted his heart. Padraig’s best supporter was always his darling wife Ella. I know she is heartbroken.
My sincerest sympathies to all who mourn Padraig.
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