Cooperative members from Ireland visit the CLUN cooperative and meet with women livestock farmers from the Mulleres de Seu association

• The CLUN rural cooperative welcomes a delegation from the Irish Society of Cooperative Organisations (ICOS), which is visiting Galicia from 19 to 21 September.
• The Irish delegation will have the opportunity to meet with women farmers from the Mulleres de Seu Association, promoted by the CLUN cooperative to promote the visibility and empowerment of rural women.
• Women livestock farmers are fundamental to the future of the rural world. Any initiative to guarantee generational replacement must take women into account”, said Carmen Rodríguez, vice-president of CLUN and president of Mulleres de Seu.

Today, 20 September, the CLUN rural co-operative is hosting a delegation from the Irish Society of Co-operative Organisations (ICOS), which is visiting Galicia from 19 to 21 September as part of the ICOS Skillnet professional development programme for young farmers.

“This type of contact between co-operatives from different countries is very important, because it strengthens the co-operative movement through networking and the exchange of experiences,” said Carmen Rodríguez, Vice-President of the CLUN co-operative and President of Mulleres de Seu. “Ireland is a very interesting country, as it is a major European dairy producer specialising in the production of products for export. Moreover, it has the particularity that the majority of its dairy industry corresponds to cooperatives”, she explained.

As well as visiting a Premium Únicla dairy farm this morning, the Irish delegation of five dairy farmers, one meat producer and an ICOS technician will also visit the CLUN facilities in Ames. In the afternoon, they will also have the opportunity to meet with women cooperative members of the Mulleres de Seu Association, promoted by the CLUN cooperative to promote the visibility and empowerment of rural women.

“Women livestock farmers are fundamental to the future of the rural world. Any initiative to guarantee generational replacement must take women into account, as we are the ones who keep the population in the territory”, said Carmen Rodríguez. “One of the objectives of today’s delegation is to explore the strategies for generational change that other Spanish and European cooperatives are implementing. In this context, ICOS is particularly interested in learning about our experience in promoting rural women’s leadership, because although our approach as an association in Mulleres de Seu is intergenerational, we pay special attention to promoting the participation of young women”, she commented.