Gardaí have been called in to assist a Department of Agriculture investigation into a major fraud involving the certification of beef for the Russian market at a processing plant in mid-Leinster, writes Seán MacConnell, Agriculture Correspondent.
There are fears that the discovery of fraud concerning the quality of the beef could damage Ireland's important trade with Russia, which has been valued at up to €50 million per annum in recent years.
It is understood that the fraud involved substituting cheap beef into Russian contracts. While the Department of Agriculture could not confirm quantities, sources say hundreds of tonnes are involved.
The Russian beef market, one of the State's few remaining non-EU outlets for beef, has high specifications and will take only beef from male animals which have been processed before the animal reaches 30 months.
Top-quality beef from these male animals is the most highly priced beef in Ireland, whereas cow beef commands a much lower price, depending on the time of year.
The Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed that it had called in gardaí to help with the investigation, which began some weeks ago when a departmental audit uncovered irregularities.
The spokesman added that it had also informed the authorities in Brussels of the investigation, as it must when suspected irregularities are uncovered.
But as yet there is no issue of export refund fraud being involved.
He said the Department's investigation was ongoing, and certain actions had been taken, including "the reassignment of staff".
It is not known if any of the cow beef was exported to Russia, and that forms part of the investigation. The Department said it had uncovered the problems during an audit of the plant.
The plant is not one of the major international meat companies operating in the State, but has a considerable presence in the niche market in Russia.
Russia has banned Irish beef several times because of BSE, and the market was reopened only on strict criteria.
At one stage in the late 1990s it refused to take beef of any kind from Irish counties where BSE levels were high.
Ireland was barred from the Russian market after the 2000 BSE scare.
At that stage Russia drew up specifications which excluded all beef from cows but lifted the county ban.
It is now Ireland's largest beef market outside the EU and last year took between 70,000 and 80,000 tonnes.
The discovery of the fraud will cause embarrassment to the beef industry in the Republic and could damage the Russian trade.