DEAR SIR: Hopefully Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture don’t forget about tillage, sheep and beef farming as full-time income options. Everyone cannot depend on dairy farming.

It is great to see the Irish Farmers Journal establishing a beef and sheep farm. Tillage farmers should be able to earn a living without having to change enterprise.

I hope the tillage farmers realise that milking cows is very different to growing crops, no matter how big the milking parlour is. I hope the large tillage farmers know what they are getting themselves into.

Also I agree with the Irish Farmers Journal view on robot milking parlours. In my opinion, robot milking parlours are very expensive but are a great invention.

Beef farmers in particular should realise that they still have to manage the dairy cow. Other farm enterprises need to be protected.

Beef and sheep farming will always have a place because it suits part-time farming. My main point is that spring-milking dairy farming cannot be the only show in town for getting a full-time income. And I note new dairy entrants are not talking about dairy herds of under 100 cows – it is always well over the 100-cow mark. Time will tell if the huge investment in dairy farming will pay off.