Madam, - Seán Mac Connell's excellent article in your edition of June 24th articulated a perception of agriculture all too often ignored by our increasingly urban society. We do well to remember the huge spin-off effects for all our citizens and for the very structure of our landscape in the country we all cherish.
The "investment" of €1.64 billion can truly be described as money well spent when we consider the net benefit to the Irish economy as being in the region of €11 billion.
Could I also emphasise the strategic importance of having a home-based food industry on which we can rely for continuity of supply, traceability and freedom from the risks of possible contamination associated with imported produce?
Our farmers need our support, need our understanding of the bigger picture and need to regain the pride in Irish agriculture which is in danger of being lost. - Yours, etc,
MALCOLM THOMPSON, President, Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers' Association, Portlaoise, Co Laois.
Madam, - As farmers we have to listen to constant kicking of the industry time and time again. The recent row between Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac over reforms of the Cap and the budget for 2007-2013 distracts from the real issue: the production of quality food for the EU consumer.
For those who have not been following the recent reforms, the single farm payment is now completely decoupled from food production, so no longer will there be a system of agriculture that encourages inefficient farming. The focus now is certainly going to be on quality, efficiency and the environment. In addition, there is a provision in the new reforms for rural development through modulation. This will aim to create alternatives for farmers to keep them living in the countryside make them less of a burden on the EU taxpayer.
Having researched the beef industry in South America I have seen their food processing facilities and the methods by which they grade animals for export. The underlying fact is that they do not currently test for BSE, but this food is freely available on our shelves to the unsuspecting consumer. The South Americans maintain that they do not have BSE but clearly they will not find it if they are not looking for it.
If Tony Blair had his way and the Cap was wiped out over night, we would run the risk of leaving food production at the mercy of factory farms, hypermarkets and dodgy imports. On top of that, rural Ireland would become a desolate place as agriculture is the lifeblood of towns and villages throughout Ireland.
Farming in Ireland is turning a massive corner. There will be huge changes ahead and one must realise that the ultimate aim of the Cap reforms is to keep Europe's food secure and at the same time protect the environment and the consumer. - Yours, etc,
JOHN FAGAN, Gartlandstown, Collinstown, Co Westmeath.
Madam, - Are we Irish being unfair to Tony Blair over the Cap controversy? I am no great fan of Mr Blair, mainly because of the tragedy of the Iraq war, but he did break the mould of Britain's stagnant politics in 1997 and he did more than any of his predecessors to bring peace in Northern Ireland. So when I read Ruaidhrí Deasy's rather intemperate outburst (June 22nd) about farmers across Europe being "shell-shocked following Tony Blair's suggestion" and about how it was "incredible that Tony Blair has mooted change", I feel a need to point out that he did nothing of the sort. He was reacting to something that was not of his making, as indeed is Mr Deasy - understandable in both cases.
I happened to have been in London when Jacques Chirac, smarting under his defeat in the French referendum, lost his cool and lashed out at a sitting target, the British rebate of contributions to the EU budget negotiated by Mrs Thatcher (plus handbag). Chirac wanted it abolished. The angry reaction in Britain was palpable and Blair had to be careful in his response. He could simply have invoked the veto and refused to negotiate. However, he said he would agree to negotiate but only if the whole budget was reopened.
Granted, there was some mention of the British wish to see some Cap money moved, but I suspect this had much to do with the penchant of French farmers for blockading the roads around channel ports, as well as local politics in Britain.
So I feel we are being unfair to Tony; it will be interesting to see how he handles the EU Presidency. - Yours, etc,
WJ MURPHY, Malahide, Co Dublin.