The Dail Committee of Public Accounts should investigate how the Exchequer was "ripped off to the extent of millions of pounds" in a meat fraud, said Mr Pat Rabbitte (DL, Dublin South West).
Legal costs of more than £1 million, arising from unnecessary and wasteful litigation in which the Department of Agriculture had embroiled itself, had last week been discharged by the State, he said.
"General damages awarded to the injured party have yet to be assessed, but will exceed the amount already paid out for costs by an unknown factor.
"The Department of Agriculture ignored all entreaties to desist and no other agency of the State would agree to intervene. Attempts by some politicians from inside and outside Government to terminate the madness were fought off by the Department of Agriculture on the grounds that they were likely to succeed in court."
Speaking on the adjournment, Mr Rabbitte said that arising from the GATT agreement the EU was obliged to import a small amount of beef from third countries. Ireland's share was 400 tonnes divided by licence among the main beef companies, including several in the Goodman group. In fact, they did not import the beef but sold their quotas to Emerald Meats.
"The Commission [later] introduced a regulation binding on member-states that would give the quotas to `traditional importers'. Therefore, in Ireland the law now dictated that these quotas should go to Emerald Meats.
"In blatant contravention of the law, the other beef companies - predominantly the Goodman Group - and the Department of Agriculture officials conspired to knowingly misrepresent the historical position to Brussels."