DEAR SIR:

I am really baffled by the actions of Revenue, regarding the Kerry patronage shares, and one has to wonder was whoever authorised the issuing of the 400 letters to those unfortunate shareholders living in some kind of bubble?

Do these people not know, as every dog on the street knows, that the farming community is on its knees, and that this money that Revenue says it is 100% sure that it is entitled to simply isn’t there. Farmers are already under pressure to pay contractors, feed and fertiliser bills etc, but these are now going to have to be put on an even longer finger as the Revenue is saying: “Pay up now, or else.”

Yes the outlook for milk in 2017 is looking more positive, but if the increase in price that’s being forecasted materialises, this money will be needed by farmers to catch up on bills not yet paid and to make the necessary investments in their businesses which were put on hold for the last two years.

Brexit

Also, with Brexit on the horizon and the uncertainty that the emerging populist vote may bring in France and Germany, which could threaten the structure of the EU as we know it even further, it’s fair to say that it won’t be all plain sailing and price volatility is here to stay. One has to ask where is the Government in all this? They were very fast (and rightly so) in coming to Apple’s defence in relation to the €13bn tax bill.

Unlike the Kerry farmers, however, Apple can pay this bill if they are forced to do so and the country as a whole would reap some benefit from this even if it was only a short-term gain.

But the repercussions of pressurising these farmers into paying money which they simply do not have will be very grave indeed and will not only affect the wellbeing of these people, but also the wider community who are depending on these dairy farmers remaining in business.