DEAR SIR: I joined the National Farmers’ Association over 50 years ago and contributed to it and the IFA both actively and financially for all those years. On 6 April 2016, I decided to cancel my membership because, in my opinion, the IFA does not look after my interests and those of older farmers. I feel we are completely sidelined in favour of the younger farmers.

On the introduction of the Single Farm Payment, I, along with many older farmers in the Early Farm Retirement Scheme, lost my Area Aid Payments from my lands, leaving me with naked acres and seriously diminished income.

On review of the Mulder ruling whereby the affected farmers were successful in their case for compensation and allocation of milk quota in the European Court of Justice, the same ECJ case law applies to the Early Farm Retirement Scheme whereby area aids were removed from farms and replaced by the Single Farm Payment.

This was denied to the ERS farmers who were not farming in the qualifying years 2000, 2001 and 2002 and could not have been farming in the qualifying years as, like the Mulder farmers, they had a prior contract with the EU in the ERS.

I have fruitlessly canvassed the IFA to lobby on my behalf, as a member and that of my peers.

When I discovered that Commissioner Hogan would be at Goffs for the IFA Brexit meeting, I paid €100 for two tickets online for myself and a family member as I was no longer an IFA member.

I travelled 100 miles to Goffs to get an answer to one question from Commissioner Hogan but I was the only questioner that was denied the right to question the Commissioner.

Looking at the history of the IFA and how it treats old people, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. I believe that the treatment I received from the IFA should at least warrant the return of my €100.

In light of this, I was forced to follow Commissioner Hogan to the door, where I presented him with a printed copy of my question and he assured me that he will respond.