Westmeath farmer welcomed as new Lakeland Dairies board member

Westmeath dairy farmer Aisling Neville (28) has become the latest member of the Lakeland Dairies board, following a recent keenly contested election.

Aisling, who grew up in Offaly and nows runs a 150-cow dairy herd at Moate, which she took on at just 22 years old, says it was her positive experience on the Lakeland Dairies regional committee that encouraged her to go further.

“I didn’t see too many young people or women involved at board level, and I believe we need both younger and older members on a board to get a balanced opinion,” said Aisling. “I have a strong background in farming, the science behind it, as well as the financial and business end of it.

“You need to have good people around a table to drive a business forward and make good decisions. So why not me?"

Now an elected board member for a five-year term, Aisling said she will do all she can to support the farmers in her area and represent them and all farmers at the board table.

“My number one concern will always be the farmers who supply the co-op and maximising the milk price for them. I’m here to represent farmers, I will listen to their concerns and support them in any way I can. I want to help all farmers understand how their co-op works and is there to help them. This understanding would, in turn, get more Lakeland Dairies farmers involved in regional committees.”

With a first-class honours degree in agricultural science, experience on an 800-cow farm in Victoria, Australia, and a lifelong involvement on her family dairy farm in Offaly, Aisling felt it was time to lay her own cow roads.

“I knew I was going to stay in the dairy sector, because I have always loved dairy cows, breeding them, showing them and milking them. So, leasing my own place was the right thing to do, even if I was only 22. And once I had the farm up and running well, I felt I was in a position to do something else within the sector. So, when this board position came up, I went for it.”

Aisling sees her successful election as a sign of positive movement in the sector. Now as a Lakeland Dairies board member, she encourages other female farmers to put themselves forward for similar leadership roles, the same way their male counterparts do.

“My big fear was that if I got on the board with a gender quota in place, people would say, ‘she is only there to meet the quota’, so, I am delighted that I was voted in on my own merit and nobody can say I was put in.

“I was voted in by my local farmers – who are majority men. That says to me that there is no need for gender quotas in agricultural organisations. What there is a need for is encouragement for young girls and women to get involved in farm organisations.

“I don’t want to be segregated as a woman in farming, I want us to play by the same rules and intensity as male farmers, because we are well able, and I think I have proven that.”

Lakeland Dairies have made important strides in recent times to promote greater female participation in the co-operative.

The shareholders of Lakeland Dairies recently voted resoundingly in favour of adopting new rules aimed at future proofing their ongoing progress and success.

At a special general meeting in September, a motion was carried by 98% to support the promotion of ‘diverse membership and governance participation’.

Separately, Lakeland Dairies also launched a targeted campaign to encourage more women and other family members to become involved as shareholders in the co-op.

Chairperson Niall Matthews congratulated Aisling on her successful election campaign: “I am delighted to see a young farmer like Aisling interested in the structure of our co-op. The co-operative movement is the backbone and pillar of so many rural communities, and this is a crucially important time for our great sector, so it is important to have many unique views and perspectives around the board table.

“Aisling is a valued Lakeland Dairies milk supplier, and now as a valued board member, I have no doubt she will make a positive impact and be a strong representative for the farmers in her area.”