Rural and Environment

Women in the Rural Economy: Part 1

March 1, 2019 by admin No Comments | Category Agriculture, Farming, food and drink, Uncategorized

As we approach International Women’s Day, this is the first post in our new series looking at the important and diverse role women play in driving and supporting Scotland’s rural economy. This piece looks at the career and experience of Claire Taylor, political reporter at the Scottish Farmer.

I have been very lucky throughout my life and working career, that being a woman has never been a hindrance to my ambition to progress and a lot of that is down to the incredible female role models who have lined the way before me.

The advancement of female rights has always been in my blood; my great-great-grandmother campaigned alongside Sylvia Pankhurst during the suffragette movement and my granny was the only female vet in her year at Liverpool University back in the early 1950’s – at a time where it was viewed as a male only profession.

My own mum practiced vet medicine and held the reins at home on our small holding in Ayr. Her ability to balance a challenging career; manage our herd of Belted Galloway cattle; help my dad run his boarding kennels and raise a family, has always made me feel that anything is possible if I was willing to work for it.

From a little thing, I had to muck in at home; feeding the cattle; rounding up our naughty goats; picking up droppings in the pony paddock; building electric fences; speaking to clients and helping with the business accounts. It was a full-on, idyllic childhood surrounded by animals, but I was never a stranger to hard work.

I went on to balance a degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh, whilst competing for Scotland in athletics and working part time. Since university, I joined the BBC as a trainee sports reporter during the Commonwealth Games and moved swiftly on to work the Independence Referendum and thereafter on election coverage for the next three years. In 2017, I decided to leave the BBC and work for the Scottish Farmer as a politics reporter – combing my passion for farming and my interest in politics, at such a crucial time in the political calendar for Scottish agriculture.

My reporting work gives me the opportunity and the platform to investigate and raise the profile of stories and issues which affect the rural economy. I am passionate about protecting Scottish agriculture and have been at the forefront of covering Brexit; seasonal worker shortages; the transportation of animals for slaughter; livestock attacks and raising awareness of mental health in farming.

Outside my reporting work I have been involved with vlogging for the Rural Youth Project; volunteering as a classroom speaker for RHET and more recently joining the board of directors for Scottish Rural Action.

I have met many amazing, inspiring women through my reporting work who are regular reminders that being a woman doesn’t come with limitations; that having confidence, energy and drive are the ingredients to success. I am proud to be amongst the many women who are striving to build a stronger, healthier and more inclusive future for rural Scotland.

Tags: rural economy, Scotland, Women

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