Sir, – Naturally John Bryan as the farmers trade union leader, like all vested interests, will quote what suits his case (Opinion, October 8th). When it comes to poor-mouthing, farmers are, and always have been, in a class of their own.
According to the CSO figures farm incomes rose by 27 per cent in 2010 and by 30 per cent in 2011. Compounded, that amounts to 65 per cent over a two-year period. Of what other group could that be said? And the bulk of it came in handouts from the hard-pressed taxpayers at national and EU level.
There’ll be plenty of “days of action” and placard waving for the next two months but the fact is we live in a bankrupt nation and if we are to emerge from that bankruptcy farmers, like the rest of us, must be made to toe the line. – Yours, etc,