The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, has defended the staff of his Department, saying they "had been subjected to unfair and unjustified criticism of late".
The Agenda 2000 proposals represented a huge challenge for the Department's staff, he said. He was confident they would emulate the outstanding record which the Department had in EU negotiations.
The Minister said controls on EU FEOGA expenditure had been greatly strengthened, encompassing accreditation of the Intervention Agency to the EU by accountants Arthur Andersen.
He said there were internal audit checks, auditing by the Comptroller and Auditor General, auditing by the European Court of Auditors and the EU Commission, as well as normal checks and controls. A special audit committee for the Department, chaired by a senior figure from an accounting firm, had been in operation for several years.
"It has been my experience over many years working as Minister and Minister of State at the Department that the staff of the Department of Agriculture and Food conduct their operations with the highest level of integrity and dedication," he said.