Fianna Fáil Senator Mary White is calling on the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney TD to examine the recent elections to the council of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA). Senator White raised the matter today in the Order of Business in the Seanad, expressing her concern that not enough women are being elected to representative roles in the agriculture community.
“I am raising this issue because I am concerned at the lack of women being elected to a 93-strong national council of the ICMSA and to organisations in the wider agriculture community. There is currently only one women elected to the ICMSA council. Another Woman, Eileen Calnan of Clonakility west Cork, was denied the opportunity to run for the council as she was not a delegate, even though a gentleman from Kilkenny, who was also not a delegate, was granted the privilege of running for the national council only three years ago.
Senator White concluded “The dairy industry contributed €2.66bn to exports last year and women are no doubt the backbone of the dairy industry. The government and the Minister should be doing more to encourage representative organisations to support women and foster equality of representation”.