DEAR SIR,

The Government is giving mixed signals about the future of farming. On one hand they say there are no plans to cap herds or milk output which is good. But on the other hand, the policies are telling a different story - not dealing with high farm input costs is a clear signal that the decision-makers are prepared to see the national herd drop down in numbers which will reduce farm production.

The Irish Farmers Journal points out that 48% of drystock farms have no fertiliser. That is going to have an impact on beef output. Retirement schemes have been mentioned by the Food Vision group - these are clearly aimed at reducing farm output.

The decision-makers should be upfront and say what they really think about how they see farming in the future. What they are proposing looks like farm output reduction. Also, clover looks interesting but management around bloat has to be carefully monitored.