There have been calls for the North's Minister of Agriculture to resign after it was learnt that sheep farmers involved in major subsidy fraud would not be prosecuted.
Tough new laws will be introduced in the next two weeks to prevent farmers making fraudulent compensation claims from avoiding prosecution.
Members of the Assembly's Agriculture Committee yesterday accused Ms Br∅d Rodgers of letting farmers who had made fraudulent claims under the EU Sheep Annual Premium Scheme off "scot-free".
The discrepancies became apparent when animals were presented for foot-and-mouth-related culls earlier this year.
Sixteen sheep farmers had claimed subsidies for non-existent animals.
Twelve farmers from south Armagh had their cases referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Ms Rodgers said a technical deficiency in the law meant prosecutions could not go ahead.
Under the legislation, farmers can allege that at the time of making their subsidy claim they indeed possessed the number of animals stated. While being liable to financial penalties and the withdrawal of future subsidies, they cannot be prosecuted in court for discrepancies in animal numbers.
The new regulations will oblige farmers to inform the authorities immediately of any changes in flock sizes.
An Agriculture Committee member, Mr Ian Paisley jnr, accused the Minister of giving the farmers a "get-out-of-jail-free-card".
"If she is really serious about taking on the sheep fraudsters, she should pass these cases to the fraud squad or direct the DPP instead of letting them off the hook.
"Her failure to act makes the industry look bad in the eyes of the world. She should go."
Ms Rodgers said she was "appalled" at anyone suggesting that her department had done some kind of a deal with those having made fraudulent claims.
"If I had done a deal would I at the end of July this year put all of the facts in the public domain telling the public that there were farmers who had no sheep and I was moving to deal with?
"Would I have then sent all that information to the DPP? When I sent that information to the DPP it was totally out of my control because the DPP is independent."
An UUP MLA from the south Armagh area, Mr Danny Kennedy, however, called for an independent inquiry into the Department's handling of the situation.
"There is outrage in the law-abiding community that rogue sheep operators are being given an amnesty.
"This is part of a well-established culture in government circles which appears to ignore lawlessness and wrong-doing in particular areas of Northern Ireland," he alleged.
Leading members of the farming community yesterday agreed that the law needed to be tightened to secure prosecutions but warned against over-zealous reactions.
The president of the Ulster Farmers Union, Mr Douglas Rowe, said it would be unfair for the entire farming community to get a bad name on account of a few cases.
"The vast majority of farmers are working within the law to try and make an honest living. The actions of a tiny minority must not tarnish the entire industry," he added.