DEAR SIR: Firstly minister, I would like to thank you for your attendance and presentation in Dungarvan Mart last week.

While we courteously listened to your presentation, we were absolutely dismayed by your attitude towards redistribution of funds.

Nobody begrudges people currently holding lower value entitlements getting extra monies but unfortunately that money is primarily coming out of productive farmers’ pockets in the east and south of the country, many of whom may already be in precarious financial situations which your policy will only exacerbate.

Our understanding of your position is that you are Minister for Agriculture for the entire country but it now seems that you have allowed your judgement be clouded for reasons best known to yourself, giving rise to a prioritisation of one particular group rather than working in the interest of the entire agricultural farm family structure right across the country.

We would like to put it on the record that your policy is fundamentally flawed and hopefully it is not an instrument to achieve climate objectives by bankrupting the primary producers that are the main drivers of local economy.

Let’s hope you don’t continue your crusade playing a high-stakes poker game with the rural economy and the livelihoods of farm families.