Sir, - The article by Dick Grogan headed "The rising EU tide sank a lot of boats" (August 27th) perpetuates the myth that Ireland's accession to the EEC involved a trade-off between Irish agriculture and the Irish fishing industry. The facts do not support this.
First, Ireland joined the EEC in order to gain access for our exports, industrial and agricultural, to a large and affluent market. Protectionist policies of earlier decades had been abandoned and there was a widespread national consensus that Ireland's future economic growth must come from exports.
Second, the presence of the Common Agricultural Policy meant that the cost of agricultural supports were transferred from the national exchequer to Brussels. The CAP was already in place since the mid-1960s and, on Ireland's accession in 1973, its provisions were extended to this country over a five-year transition period. The CAP was not re-negotiated to suit Ireland, nor was Ireland granted any special concessions under the CAP at that time.
Thus, there was no link between the benefits to agriculture and the subsequent problems for the fishing industry arising from EEC accession. I am not in a position to comment on the competence of Ireland's initial and later negotiations on the Common Fisheries Policy, except to say that the outcome was not dependent on the negotiations on agriculture. - Yours, etc., CON LUCEY, Chief Economist, Irish Farmers' Association,
Dublin 12.