Legal cases cost Department of Agriculture £547,596 30 July 2013 Last updated at 06:15 Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill has said her department has spent almost £550,000 defending 24 legal cases including judicial reviews since 2007. The department lost 11 of the cases, she said. The £547,596 total cost includes legal costs and any compensation paid. The figure was revealed in an answer to a written question from the Green Party assembly member Stephen Agnew.