An ambassador to represent Ireland during the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) will be chosen this week.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed the five shortlisted candidates.

The ambassador is to be announced at a conference being held by the department on Thursday (March 5) in Co. Westmeath.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon previously encouraged women farmers across Ireland to apply.

The competition was run by the department following the declaration of 2026 as the IYWF by the UN General Assembly.

"The winner will have a unique opportunity to represent women working in Irish agriculture, promoting existing supports and initiatives while highlighting issues important to them," Minister Heydon said.

Five finalists

The shortlisted candidates have been invited to participate in the event on Thursday.

They are: Blátnaid Gallagher; Deirdre Hynes; Carina Roseingrave; Méabh Byrne; and Shannon Porter.

Blátnaid Gallagher runs Murray Meadows in east Co. Galway, where she operates her own 100-acre mixed farming enterprise.

She holds a number of roles, and recently served as Ireland’s ambassador for the FLIARA Project, championing the voice of female farmers across the EU.

She is the driving force behind Ireland’s first national wool co-op, centred on our native Irish sheep breed.

Deirdre Hynes is a dairy farmer, mother and advocate for women in agriculture.

Based in Co. Galway, she runs the farming business with her husband Bryan, and their two boys, Conn and Maccan.

Originally a qualified nurse, she transitioned into farming in 2018 and continues to invest in her skills and leadership development.

Carina Roseingrave is a full-time farmer on a mixed farm enterprise situated at the foothills of the Burren in Crusheen, Co. Clare.

The family-run farm focuses on dairy, suckler cattle, with a pedigree Limousin and Charolais herd. A flock of free-range hens was introduced in 2023.

She has two daughters, CJ and Arlie, who love being out on the farm.

Méabh Byrne comes from a busy dairy and tillage farming background in Co. Wexford, where her passion for agriculture and animal care began at a young age.

She graduated with a degree in agricultural science from South East Technological University Waterford and is currently completing a masters in animal science in University College Dublin.

She works as a farm management advisor with DeLaval, alongside being actively involved in the family farm.

Shannon Porter grew up on the family farm in the hills of Co. Donegal, where farming has always been at the heart of who she is.

She farms with her parents and two younger brothers, milking 450 cows, rearing all replacements, finishing dairy calves for beef and managing 100 ewes.

In September 2021 she established her own business, The Milk Bar, diversifying from the family farm by installing a milk vending machine and opening a farm shop.

Photo competition

The Department of Agriculture has also ran a photo competition under the IYWF banner, delivered in association with CAP Network Ireland, with the prizegiving for winners taking place at the event on Thursday.

The competition sought photo submissions from the public under the theme ‘Empowered women transforming agri-food systems’.

There is a €200 prize for the winner of each of five categories, with the overall winning photo featuring on the next CAP Network Ireland Women in Agriculture booklet.