The television production company behind RTÉ's reality show, Celebrity Farm, yesterday rejected remarks made by ousted artist Kevin Sharkey that the show was "rigged" and "a sham".
Tyrone Productions has dismissed "out of hand" Mr Sharkey's comments questioning the voting system on the show and the conditions in which the animals were kept on the farm.
"This farm is perfect. Kevin Sharkey has absolutely no background in farming and has no basis for his comments. None of the animals have been mistreated in any way. "We are nothing but grateful to the people who have lent the farm out to us," Ms Clare Ridge of Tyrone Productions said.
Speaking on 2FM's The Gerry Ryan Show yesterday morning after his eviction on Wednesday night, Mr Sharkey said the voting was fixed and that it was a coincidence that two of the last four finalists worked for RTÉ, referring to children's presenter Mary Kingston and Fair City actor George McMahon. However, under pressure from Gerry Ryan, he withdrew his statements on yesterday morning's radio show.
"They've all been competitive and they all want to win for their charity and we can understand that," Ms Ridge said.
"It is absolutely not rigged and the challenges are not fixed, either," she said.
"To say the voting is fixed is ridiculous. We don't know the results until about eight minutes after voting stops," she added.
The farmer who is hosting the celebrities and TV crew, Mr John Leeson, yesterday rejected Mr Sharkey's comments as "totally over the top and publicity-seeking". At a conference in Wicklow, Mr Leeson, a former county councillor, said his cows and calves were being kept in very good conditions on the farm.
He said he did not own the sheep which had been brought in to the farm for "dagging", which is the removal of dirt and caked manure from around their tails, about which Mr Sharkey had complained.
He said he was sorry to hear that Mr Sharkey had complained about conditions on the farm because "of all of them, he had tried his very best and worked very hard".
"I think the comments were totally over the top," he said.Asked if he believed Mr Sharkey's comments that the programme was "rigged", Mr Leeson said that it was not.
His understanding was that most of the votes cast were texted messages and this would naturally favour the younger participants on the farm.
"Anyhow, this is about entertainment, not about farming at all," he said.
RTÉ children's presenter Mary Kingston was the fifth celebrity to be evicted from the show last night and left the house in tears to meet her husband.
The final of Celebrity Farm will take place tonight at 7 p.m. on RTÉ 1.
George McMahon, Tamara Gervasoni and Gavin Lambe-Murphy are the three remaining contestants.