The announcement this week that the Department of Agriculture is to effectively disband the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is to be welcomed. We cannot credibly dispute the need for an investigations unit within the Department of Agriculture. However, the way in which the SIU conducted its business was simply unacceptable. The new structure should ensure the unit now operates under a governance structure that will deliver greater accountability. There is now a clear reporting structure for the division, with responsibility resting with at the door of Martin Blake, chief veterinary officer and Philip Carroll, assistant secretary with the Department of Agriculture.