Debate contribution: Women in Agriculture

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 11 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

11 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Women in Agriculture

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4855653

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Having moved the amendment, I wish to support the motion and highlight the significant under-representation of women in agriculture. First, I thank the Members who tabled the motion, and I thank Áine for her eloquent speech and the stories of engagement on her family farm. While I acknowledge the structural and cultural barriers that limit women's participation, I recognise my colleague Minister Muir's commitment to addressing those challenges and working towards practical and tangible solutions. As we have said, it is about that "Accelerate action" theme. Women have always played a vital role in our rural communities, but, so often, their contributions go unrecognised. Women are central to family farm businesses, the agri-food industry and rural life, but they remain under-represented when it comes to decision-making, business ownership and policy influence. The barriers that women face in agriculture are so complex. Traditional inheritance practices still make it harder for women to inherit land; access to finance and training remains disproportionately difficult; and leadership roles in farming organisations continue to be male-dominated. Those barriers persist despite clear evidence that diversity leads to better decision-making, greater innovation and stronger economic outcomes. Women in farming often say that it is not just a glass ceiling that holds them back; in a previous report, women talked about a "sticky floor". Systemic issues such as lack of childcare support, financial barriers and outdated membership structures make progression difficult, and tackling those issues requires addressing the ceiling above and the floor below. The 'Breaking the Grass Ceiling' report was a significant step forward when it was published in 2022, and I look forward to hearing an update on the actions in the report from the Minister in his response to the debate. Some of the deeper issues were further explored in NFU Scotland's 'Diversity and Inclusion Review: Final Report', which was published in January of this year. One of the review's key findings was that no women currently sit on the NFU Scotland main board, which highlights how leadership in farming over there remains overwhelmingly male. The report recommends practical steps such as creating a skills matrix, building talent pipelines for women and establishing a dedicated diversity and inclusion committee. That committee's review of 17 Scottish agri-food organisations found that, out of 111 senior board representatives, only 16 were women. That is 14%. That under-representation demonstrates an urgent need for action. I know that the Minister is nurturing this in his Department. That review focused mainly on the Scottish agrisector, but I look forward to hearing from the Minister today about the key learnings that he will take forward, whether through the appointment of the boards of his non-departmental public bodies or through working alongside the public appointments unit in DAERA to actively nurture the involvement of women and encourage them to apply for positions. In my North Antrim constituency, the most recent census data showed that only 9·8% of those working in agriculture-related activity were women, whereas 90·1% were men. That imbalance is not just a statistic; it reflects the structural barriers that still exist, limiting women's participation in land inheritance, business leadership and decision-making roles. A recent study by Maynooth University, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the South, identified the same barriers that exist here in Northern Ireland. The study noted that the dominant perception that a farmer is male remains — the stoic, strong decision-maker — which I found really interesting, while the woman is often seen as the helper, with the son being considered the natural heir. We hear it in the Chamber when we talk about farmers: the pronoun that is most used is "he", and comments refer to male farmers. That is just a natural consequence of the narrative. The barriers extend beyond the access to land and succession. They are the challenges of balancing off-farm work, off-farm employment and caregiving responsibilities. Addressing those issues will require a policy change that integrates agriculture policy with tax regulations, economic frameworks and social welfare entitlements. That is why it is a cross-departmental issue that has to be tackled collectively. That is why we tabled our amendment. If we are to be fully successful in attracting and retaining more women into agri-industries and farming, we need to engage in a partnership approach that involves all stakeholders. We cannot rely on reports alone. We need action, and that action has to be rooted in partnership. If we are to make real progress, there needs to be a whole-sector approach and work in partnership with farming organisations, training bodies, financial institutions, local councils and policymakers. It is not, therefore, an issue for just Minister Muir or the Department; it is an opportunity for the entire agriculture community to come together to create meaningful change. We also have to ensure that women are supported at all career stages in farming. That includes support not just for new entrants but for those who are returning after time spent in other employment or raising their families. Flexible learning opportunities and strong support networks can make all the difference, so we should look at the talent pipelines, such as the agricultural colleges, the universities and industry bodies, that could collaborate to develop women-focused training and mentorship programmes. DAERA has been working on flexible methods of learning, so looking at digital, e-learning or even peer learning or mentoring spaces would be useful in supporting women's learning. Moving on to financial support for female farmers, there has to be some kind of engagement with financial institutions that creates loan schemes that are tailored for women in agriculture, ensuring fair access to the capital that so many women in the sector find difficult to access. When we are looking at childcare, there has to be a flexible working initiative. Many women in farming are also caregivers, whether that is for the generation before or after them. Partnering with rural support networks to develop on-farm childcare solutions or flexible meeting structures, such as online participation, should be looked at, as should the role of the healthcare partnerships in that. As I said, Minister Muir has already demonstrated a willingness to engage on the issue. I welcome the steps that have been taken to date, especially on succession planning. The phrase, "You need to see it to be it" is key. The more that we champion and amplify the voices of women in agriculture and remove the barriers to succession, the more successful that we will be in retaining and nurturing women in the agrisector. If we are serious about strengthening our agrisector and ensuring its sustainability for the future, we have to remove every barrier that we can to women participating fully. As I have said before, women do not just have to break a glass ceiling; they need to rise from the sticky floor that has held them down for far too long. I hope that, today across the Assembly, we can commit to lifting them up, creating real opportunities and ensuring that the future of farming is truly inclusive. I commend the amendment to the House.

1,189 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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