Minister of State for Finance Tom Parlon has defended his decision to endorse an animal feed product in a newspaper advertisement last week.
However, he has said he would now "think twice" about doing so, in the wake of criticism from Opposition politicians and a complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission.
Mr Parlon appeared in an advertisement endorsing a brand of cattle feed made by a neighbour and friend, John Grennan, in last week's farming supplement in the Irish Independent, although he received no payment.
Speaking from Australia, where he is on an official visit, Mr Parlon said he used the feed on his Co Offaly farm, and had been contacted by Mr Grennan and asked for an endorsement. Because it was a local business in his area employing 40 people and he believed it a good product, he had "no problem in saying yes immediately".
"I see absolutely no problem in endorsing a local enterprise," he said. "Quite frankly, whether it breached ethics guidelines or not never even crossed my mind."
Mr Parlon said he had since examined the code of conduct for office holders and did not believe his actions constituted a breach, although he did not want to prejudge any decision .
"If I was asked to do it again, because of the controversy that has arisen, I would think twice about it. When I was asked to do it, I felt I was being asked to do it as a local Offaly man and as a local farmer. "Having said all that, I still don't see any difficulty with it," Mr Parlon added. He accused Fine Gael TD Paul McGrath of "shallowness" in raising the issue.
Parlon ad is particularly unethircal; Mary Raftery: page 16