Liam Mounsey, Drumerhin, Ballyfoyle, Co Kilkenny

DEAR SIR: Please allow me a small comment relating to the front-page article of the Irish Farmers Journal on 8 August 2015: “Trouble at FBD as CEO resigns.’’

The article starts with the sudden resignation of CEO Andrew Langford, with comments in the same article as to why FBD is in this situation.

Clearly, someone like myself wouldn’t dare attempt to explain how FBD ended up at such losses in less than two years when they showed (and quite loudly) in the three previous years that they were at least €40m in profit each year.

The actual article in the Irish Farmers Journal seems to try and answer the questions of losses but part of that article states it is “due to the high rise in the number of claims”. This, to me, is the usual excuse we get every year when we get notice to renew our premiums.

In 25 years with FBD, I have never claimed off my insurance, but every year it goes up €150 on the previous year. On top of that, I’m told €86 extra for my “no-claims bonus”.

When asked why €150 extra, the answer given is because of the high number of claims.

The real question I want an answer from FBD on, through your paper so that all of us FBD members can read it, is what wages, etc, do the CEO, chair and all other senior employees get? We live in a nation where, from the Taoiseach down, we’re told of “openness and transparency”.

We want to see, in print, what our FBD premiums are paying for.

Obviously, one member down in rural Kilkenny directly asking such questions would receive quite a lot of excuses in return.

The Irish Farmers Journal is a big organisation, so through your paper I’d like to know the take-home pay of FBD’s CEO and chair.