DEAR SIR:

Now that’s there is a whimper of a potential milk rise in the short term, you have got to hand it to the Irish Farmers Journal for being out of the traps to spread the good news and raise farmers’ expectations.

It’s probably safe to assume that the train has left the station in this regard with no reference made to all the casualties from the milk price crash. On one side, there is the current account statement and on the other side there is the list of debtors who need to be paid and are entitled to get paid. Obviously, the one exception in all this is the banks. They get their money directly from your standing order. There is no delaying that payment.

This year, I also found out that they take a very poor view of the cashflow shortage that most dairy farmers experienced this year. With an unblemished banking record since I started farming over 25 years ago and currently having my lowest debt level ever, I was refused a bank loan of €10,000 to be paid over three years. I feel sorry for all the contractors, merchants and all in the agri-sector who won’t get paid this year due to insufficient funds in farmers’ pockets. At farmgate level, it’s a different story.