A Garda investigation into the labelling of beef for export to Russia at a Leinster beef plant will be completed shortly, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Ms Coughlan, said yesterday in Paris

She described the incident as "disappointing" but said the Department was quickly involved in the case which was now a matter for the Garda.

She said the company's licence to export to Russia had been revoked, but the incident - which had been uncovered by Department of Agriculture officials - had not disrupted the Russian beef trade.

The Minister said that the Department had taken the matter - thought to involve hundreds of tonnes of beef for the Russian market - seriously.

"Over the last number of years, there has been a huge change in attitude in the farming community and in industry," she said. "People should rest assured that all controls will be stringently implemented so a watertight situation is in place regarding controls," she said at the SIAL (Salon international de l'Alimentation) food fair in Paris.

The fraud is understood to involve the certification of lower-priced cow beef as high-grade steer beef under 30 months old for sale in the Russian market.