Sir, - I sympathise with Anita Monaghan's comments October 17th. edition and I sympathise. I proceeded to read the comments of Betty Murphy (of the IFA National Farm Family Committee) and my level of sympathy has now grown tenfold.
The large farmers have been blessed in their abilities to gouge money from the taxpayers of Ireland over the years. One would think their best approach in the circumstances would be to keep mum, take the grants in the knowledge that when they pass on to a better life, their sons and daughters with the better-paying jobs will also inherit the hundreds of acres. Not so. Betty Murphy's very weak defence prompts the question - could anyone (even the large farmers) fall for it?
While the Government attempts to address the obvious problems which surround the distribution of grant funds, my suggestion to Ms Murphy is to advise those large farmers to sell just a small part of their holding, support their children financially throughout third level and give those in genuine need an opportunity to avail of grants which perhaps could be increased to a realistic level over time. - Yours, etc.,
Lorraine Morris, Sutton Park, Sutton, Dublin 13.