Sir, - The IFA claims that 27,000 farming families are living in poverty (The Irish Times, November 24th). If this is correct, the solution is obvious: direct EU subsidies to those who are in need. The average EU payment to farmers last year was £9,000, yet six farmers received more than £150,000 each from the Arable Aid Scheme alone.
If the EU payout to farmers was capped at £9,000, poverty among farmers could be eliminated with a tidy refund left over for the taxpayers of Europe. - Yours, etc., Pat Corcoran,
Charles Street, Dublin 1.