Farmers in Askeaton, Co Limerick, have called for an investigation of the State's handling of the inquiry into unexplained animal deaths in the area.
The issue was first identified more than 10 years ago, but farmers say animals continue to suffer from infertility, respiratory illnesses and a failure to thrive.
They estimate that some 1,500 animals have died mysteriously in the past 10 years, with several thousand more suffering illness.
An inquiry into the deaths led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cost €5 million, but failed to pinpoint the cause of the illness.
It said the "most likely causes" related to infection, nutrition and farm management.
Farmers rejected that, and said many farmers had retired and others had taken their places in the past 10 years, yet the animals continued to die.
Yesterday, the Cappagh Farmers' Support Group urged the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, to "bite the bullet" and commission an independent science-based body to investigate the State's handling of the affair.
Mr Pat Geoghegan, group spokesman, said there was widespread unhappiness at the role of bodies such as the EPA, Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture in investigating the affair.
He said an independent investigation by a science-based body should look at the protocols followed by State bodies from the first day of its inquiries onwards.
The time for reports was over, Mr Geoghegan said. "We could do reports and studies until the cows come home, but the problem is that the cows are not coming home because they are all dying."
He said the Dáil Public Accounts Committee had questioned some of the bodies involved about the spending of funds in the investigations, but questions remained unanswered.
Farmers have questioned the role of local industries in the deaths, but industries such as Aughinish Alumina have always strongly denied any connection.
The EPA report said environmental pollution and toxic substances were "unlikely causes" of the problems.
Yesterday, a spokesman for the Minister for Agriculture said the Minister saw no basis for revisiting the matter as there had been "a most comprehensive and searching investigation".
The reported animal disease problems in the Askeaton area were the subject of a "multi-agency, multi-euro investigation", he said, and the report concluded that there was no evidence of serious or unusual problems in the wider Askeaton area.
A spokeswoman for the EPA said it had been monitoring sulphur-dioxide levels on the farm of Mr Liam Somers since August. "According to the findings, the levels are well within the standards."
