Cultural change needed for women in succession

The inaugural Women & Agriculture Succession Workshop has generated a considered discussion on the issue in rural Ireland, where issues from the need for a will to the right of residence when transferring farms was discussed.

Chaired by Irish Farmers Journal news editor, Amy Forde, the panel included Irish Country Living’s legal expert Aisling Meehan, Klara McGriskin, farm management specialist Teagasc and dairy farmer Anne Marie Ryan, who was accompanied by her mother Margaret to the event in Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny on Wednesday, ahead of this year’s Women and Agriculture Conference.

Anne Marie shared her experience of taking on a share of her family’s dairy farm in 2018, which was agreed mutually with her two sisters and their parents, who were delighted to see the farm remain in the family.

“I approached Mam and Dad in 2018 and we said we’d give it 12 months with no commitment on either side and we called on Klara for advice on how to become a director of the family farm company that Mam and Dad set up.”

Margaret said she and her husband LJ were delighted to see Anne Marie return home, after spending many years working in the hospitality sector.

“We were really happy she came back of her own accord, we never put any pressure on any of the girls to go into farming but Anne Marie was always the one most likely as she’d shown the most interest growing up.”

Have the conversation

Aisling Meehan said her experience of dealing with client’s succession issues was a ‘mixed bag’ and said the most important thing for people to have in place, was an up-to-date will.

“I would encourage people to have the conversation with their children when they are planning their will to gauge their reaction as to what you want to do in terms of inheritance,” she said.

“The main thing you want to achieve from succession is no conflict so the earlier you have the conversation, the more likely it is to go the way you want it to.

Klara said that while she is seeing a change in terms of succession involving daughters, it remains predominantly sons who take on the family farm.

“I am definitely seeing a change but I’m not sure how significant it is as 80% of succession involves sons. I have had verbal abuse form clients when I suggest a daughter could take over their farm. But I have nothing to lose so I will say what they don’t want to hear. I usually get feedback and flowers acknowledging that when they went away and thought about what I had said, they saw the benefits.

“We are getting a little bit better but we aren’t where we need to be because the two big things are still ‘what will the neighbours say?’ and the whole issue of the family farm name being lost. So, we definitely need a cultural change on this.”