INTERVIEW

Rowena Dwyer has become a trailblazer for women in agriculture since being appointed IFA chief economist, writes

THREE weeks into her new role at the IFA, a then 28-year-old Rowena Dwyer was faced with the momentous task of explaining the financial crash and bailout to farmers nationwide.

Without warning, the late Brian Lenihan, then finance minister, announced a €34m cut in the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme as part of the first emergency budget in October 2008.

It was only the tip of the iceberg as to what lay ahead.

Phones were hopping mad at IFA branches across the country, with farmers desperately seeking information and asking “should I take my money out of the banks?”.

Farmers wanted answers, IFA officers needed direction, the organisation needed a firm position, and it all landed at the then newly appointed chief economist’s door.

Ms Dwyer, guided by former IFA chief economist, Con Lucey, calmly sat down to write a briefing note to be distributed to IFA regional branches and into the political sphere.

“I had to make a judgment call. My strong feeling was that we are part of the EU, and no matter how difficult the situa- tion, Ireland will not be allowed to descend into chaos.

“I wanted to give people the clearest information on what was going on to try and allay panic because things were awful and frankly we had to avoid a situation where you could see a run on the banks because people thought their money would disappear.

“It was my responsibility to give people reassurance,” she said.

Although it was a time when she felt she “aged overnight,” she also describes this period, and the ensuing years of “fire-fighting for farmers against collapsing public finances”, among her proudest moments in her nine years at IFA headquarters in Bluebell, Dublin.

Born in Boherlahan-Dualla, Co Tipperary, Ms Dwyer says she grew up in a very progressive household where farming, education and a strong sense of community were central pillars to her development.

Her father, Willie, was a lecturer at Rockwell Agricultural College, now closed, and a parttime beef farmer. Her mother, Eleanor, was a speech and drama teacher.

They also both held prominent positions on IFA committees.

“As a three-year-old I still have memories of coming up on the train with my Mam when she was going to meetings in the Farm Centre. My grandparents lived in Chapelizod and used to mind me for the day,” she said, recalling a fond memory of getting a lift home to the Premier County with former IFA president, and family friend, Joe Rea, when she was six years old.

Although she had a keen interest in agriculture, politics and current affairs, at school she became captivated by economics and its impact on public policy, leading her to Trinity College Dublin.

She says Alan Matthews, Professor of European Agricultural Policy at TCD, sparked her interest in agri economics. However, Irish agriculture was extremely quiet in the late 1990s and early noughties.

“Ireland was going through a different period of growth altogether.

“We were heading into five years of credit-fuelled growth, agriculture in particular didn’t have a high profile,” she said.

Ms Dwyer continued her studies at York University where she did her thesis on CAP reform 2002. Her father suggested she speak to veteran IFA economist Con Lucey.

Little did she know six years later she would be taking over his role in the IFA.

In the meantime, Ms Dwyer developed her skills in various roles at the Higher Education Authority and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

She also spent two years working in Ghana, west Africa in their ministry of education.

“It was two of the most colourful years of my life. We secured huge funding towards the enrolment of young girls and removing fees from education,” she said.

Although she loved working on the development side of economics, agriculture was calling.