Madam, - Michael Murphy (April 28th) shows a lack of understanding of the day-to-day chores of farm life. I must remind him a farm is a business, not a zoo or place of entertainment for city folk to stroll through on their bank holiday weekends. Farms are extremely dangerous places - bulls kill people!
People strolling from one farm to the next increase the risk of spreading diseases such as brucellosis and bovine TB, whose attempted eradication costs the farmer thousands each year.
Using the UK as a paragon of agricultural perfection is quite inappropriate as we all witnessed its poor control of foot-and- mouth disease. In addition, agriculture contributes less than 1 per cent of the UK's GDP, whereas it accounts for just under 10 per cent of Ireland's.
As a farmer myself, I have had to deal with hill-walkers and fishermen on many occasions. I have pulled fishing tackle from cows' feet; I have lost six calves with plastic bags in their stomachs; I have had to protect my sheep from people's dogs allowed to run loose through my farm. I have had phone calls in the middle of the night to put cattle or sheep off roads after hill-walkers have left gates open.
Mr Murphy points out that farms are being overgrazed and that farmers are polluting every waterway in the country. I admit there have been problems in the past. However, as farmers are being encouraged and trained to follow the code of good practice, farm pollution scares are becoming less and less common.
Mr Murphy says farmers should feel obliged to the EU taxpayer for all the "donations" we receive through subsidies. Well, I do not apologise at all for compensatory payments put in place to provide the European consumer with cheap food. Which is what you are getting.
Mr Murphy rightly points out that agri-tourism is a very important source of income for farm families in the West. However, there are plenty of public walkways throughout the entire West coast for hill-walkers to use.
In addition, there are plenty of other tourist attractions for cyclists and golfers. If farmers want to allow people to cross their land, so be it; but all farmers should have the right to refuse access to their farms in order to protect their business. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN FAGAN, Collinstown, Co Westmeath.