Sir, - Your report (The Irish Times, November 12th) of the IFA blockade of the Aldi store in Cork vividly illustrates the hypocrisy of farmers. They are quite happy to accept ú2 billion a year from the EU, yet they think they have the right to stop the importation of milk from Northern Ireland. Consumers are to be deprived of a fair deal so that farmers can continue to get their inflated prices. Yet it is these self-same consumers who will pay the largesse promised to farmers in the Book of Estimates: ú849 million! This is in addition to what they cadge from the EU.
It is well past time for the farmers to be stopped from dipping their hands into the pockets of PAYE taxpayers. As well as protesting against corruption in public and business life, the trade unions should target farmers as a parasitic class who must be called to account. - Yours, etc.,
Pat Corcoran, Charles Street, Dublin 1.