The meat plant used by convicted sheep-smuggler John Walsh to collect VAT livestock rebates to which he was not entitled has said no staff have been sacked over the incident.
The company made its comments as it emerged that the Garda and the Department of Agriculture's control inquiry team had drawn up new rules covering the supply of livestock to meat plants.
These were drawn up based on experience gained investigating the movement and slaughter of animals during the foot-and-mouth crisis last year.
Kepak, the meat-processing group which accepted the smuggled sheep and processed them at its factory in Athleague, Co Roscommon, in February last year, said it had carried out its own investigation into the incident.
When Walsh, with an address in Carlisle, England, and Clareen, Co Offaly, appeared before the Dublin District Court last month, it emerged he had told staff at the plant who knew him to Tippex out his name and book in the sheep as belonging to different farmers who supplied the factory.
Walsh, who was given a three- month sentence on the four charges to which he had pleaded guilty, had told gardaí: "Anyone can come along and give a name if he knows the name is on the factory records."
In court Walsh also said he had taken 248 sheep to Athleague, where he was known by the security guard, who signed him in "under the name of another farmer, an innocent party".
He also told the Garda that he had given a false registration for the lorry at the plant and had used a code provided by a person in the factory to cash four cheques made out to innocent farmers for a sterling draft, without having to show identification.
A spokesman for Kepak said it had conducted its own investigation into the incident, which happened nine days before the first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on this island on a farm at Meigh, Co Armagh, which had been used as a transit point by Walsh.
"The company found nothing that warranted the sacking of any member of the staff. The security man recognised Mr Walsh who told him that he was booking sheep into the plant for other farmers," said the spokesman.
"Mr Walsh had been a regular user of the plant in the year 2000 and there was nothing exceptional in him bringing animals in for other people, even though he was not a big dealer," he said.
Asked if Kepak had any special arrangements with the Allied Irish Bank in Roscommon for the cashing of cheques without identification, the spokesman said what had happened in the AIB was a matter for the bank. "All I can say is that this would not have been a typical occurrence," he said.
An AIB spokesman said the bank would be making no statement until it had viewed the transcripts of the court case. There are no official transcripts of cases being heard in district courts.
The bank had been asked to explain how Walsh had cashed the four cheques, worth £13,097.37, and exchange them for a sterling draft without showing identification.
The bank had also been asked to explain if it had a special arrangement with Kepak whereby such transactions could be carried out by going to a particular counter at the bank in Roscommon and using a special number given at the factory, as alleged in court by Walsh.
It was also confirmed at the weekend that the Revenue Commissioners were continuing with their investigations into VAT repayments at sheep-processing plants across the State. A Revenue spokesman confirmed the investigation was still going on but refused to comment on individuals or meat-processing groups.
