Lakeland Dairies has launched a targeted campaign to encourage more women and other family members to become involved as shareholders in the cross-border cooperative.
According to the co-op, currently, 12% of herd owners in the country are women but this does not reflect the huge, often unseen work carried out in farm businesses by women.
Across Europe, the cooperative movement in general has struggled to encourage women to become involved at representative and board levels.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign at the Virginia Show yesterday, Lakeland Dairies’ chairman Niall Matthews outlined the benefits of becoming involved in co-op shareholding.
“This is one of the most transformative times in the history of the co-operative movement. We are seeing considerable change coming to farming and with change comes opportunity. I’m a firm believer that having as many voices as possible from diverse backgrounds within our co-operative helps continually to foster progressive ideas and strategies.
“Becoming involved in your local co-op is hugely rewarding. It is your co-op, it is your business and, in many instances, it is your livelihood. I believe it’s important to have a say in the running of your co-op and this is done by becoming a shareholder and getting involved in the democratic processes that decide the overall direction of the business.
