Westlife's sell-out concerts, which are scheduled for The Point Theatre in Dublin later this month, will go ahead against the wishes of the Department of Agriculture.
A spokesman for the Department said it would prefer if the Westlife concerts did not proceed on the planned dates, but the decision rested with the promoters.
The 11 concerts, which have been sold out since last year, will attract a total of about 70,000 fans. The first concert will take place on March 19th.
A spokesman for the Live Entertainment Industry Association, which represents Aiken Promotions, MCD, The Point Theatre and Ticketmaster, said: "We had not been told not to go ahead but were told it was at our discretion. We are satisfied at this point that we can put enough procedures and preventative measures in place."
In a statement the association said: "All scheduled events are proceeding as planned and the association's venues have implemented stringent disinfectant procedures, in accordance with the preventative measures set down by the Department of Agriculture."
The association would continue to act responsibly and would maintain close contact with the relevant authorities, according to the statement.
On RTE Radio's News at One, Labour's agriculture spokesman, Mr Willie Penrose, yesterday called on MCD to postpone the concerts.