Women in Agriculture taskforce announced

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced a new group to ensure women are better represented in farming.

The Women in Agriculture taskforce will look at issues including better access to training and progression within the agricultural industry and better succession planning. The group will be co-chaired by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing and Joyce Campbell, a farmer and entrepreneur based in North Sutherland.

The First Minister made the announcement at the Royal Highland Show, where she also launched the Women in Farming and the Agriculture Sector research report. The first major investigation into issues facing women in agriculture in Scotland was commissioned by the Scottish Government and carried out by Newcastle University.

Recommendations in the report include introducing mechanisms to enable progression from young farmers’ groups to more senior roles in sector bodies; the establishment of a talent bank of suitably-qualified women for farming positions and mechanisms to identify women mentors to support both male and female farm apprentices.

Speaking at the Royal Highland Show, the First Minister said:

"This government has always placed equality at the heart of all it does, and it is absolutely right that fairness extends to all sectors of Scottish society.

"This report is a welcome insight into Scotland’s agricultural sector. While the report recognises the hugely valuable role that women play in our farming sector, it also highlights some significant challenges that are holding women back from playing an equal and equitable role in agriculture. And these need to be addressed.

"That is why I am delighted to announce this taskforce to look in-depth at the report’s recommendations to ensure the potential of women in farming is realised to better represent the forward-facing, 21stcentury Scotland in which we live."

You can download the Women in Farming and the Agriculture Sector report on the Scottish Government website.

And you can hear from women in the industry in the short film below from Rural Matters.