A number of proposals have been made by the board of the Tirlán Co-operative Society to update the organisation's governance frameworks and improve diversity on the committees, council and board of Tirlán, with more gender balance and young farmer representation.

The proposed changes, which are subject to member approval at a special general meeting (SGM) to be held later this year, were broadly welcomed by council delegates this week.

The proposals were outlined to the farmer council of Tirlán co-op on Thursday 15 June and will be presented to regional committees over the coming weeks.

Modern dynamic

Tirlán board chair Brendan Hayes stated: “We were asked to review Tirlán’s current representative structure and ensure it is appropriate for the modern and dynamic 'co-op of the future' that Tirlán aspires to be.

"In doing so, we recognise that in line with agriculture in general both in Ireland and internationally, we face particular challenges around diversity of age and gender.”

Hayes stated that a large number of members and outside experts were consulted during the formulation of the proposals by the board sub-committee.

“We were delighted to have had excellent engagement at focus groups with young people and women. Over 1,100 members responded to our survey.”

The key recommendations include:

The formation of a governance academy to build knowledge, confidence and social connection at all levels of the membership structure, with minimum training requirements for board and council eligibility. This will offer a broad range of accredited courses to Tirlán members.

Creation of young farmer groups to educate young people about the co-op structure, encourage greater involvement and build a strong succession pipeline.

The formation of a grain advisory group, as a forum for the business to exchange views with professional grain grower members that supply Tirlán.

Promoting greater gender diversity in the co-op structures by creating new seats on regional committees and council that will be available to women joining the representative structure.

Proposing maximum term limits on committees, council and board, allowing new people more opportunities to participate while still retaining experienced members.