DEAR SIR: My name is Elizabeth Coote. I am 82 years of age. I am married to my husband Walter, who is now 90 years old, we have been married 63 years. I worked for 30 years in University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield Campus, Medical School Earlsfort Tce, Merrion Street, Engineering School, Veterinary College.

During those wonderful years, helping students from all parts of the country and countries all over the world, I learned to understand and appreciate people of different religions and cultures. I have learned to listen to other peoples’ opinions and respect them.

When I worked at UCD, I sold the Irish Farmers Journal to the agricultural students and staff. My husband and I were watching TV on 21 February, when both the BBC and our own RTÉ news told us there was a shortage of some vegetable imports.

I wanted to say thank you to all farmers, whether large or small, we need them and we appreciate their hard work

My husband said you were correct when you said to me months ago that we here in Ireland are an island and we need our farmers to grow our food and have the cattle to supply our meat. I wanted to say thank you to all farmers, whether large or small, we need them and we appreciate their hard work, often with very small margins on their produce. We cannot eat Facebook, Tik Tok or any technology products, so the Government and the Irish people need to be grateful to all farmers and their families.

Housing, health and education should be the Government’s priority

My father was born in 1896, his words remain with me all my life: “Remember, we all need a roof over our heads, a bed to sleep on and food to sustain us, the rest is luxury - if you can afford it fine, if not we are missing nothing.”

These words are just as important today as they were all those years ago. He was a very wise man, with kindness, empathy and compassion. Housing, health and education should be the Government’s priority. Hence, writing to you at the Irish Farmers Journal is a way to say, next time you are at a meeting with IFA or the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, tell him all of the above from a Dublin woman with no connection to farming, but a woman and man old enough to have a little bit of wisdom and experience in knowing what is essential to our wellbeing, both physical and mental health.