Farmers' union declares no confidence in DEFA's senior leadership

The Manx National Farmers’ Union has declared that it has no confidence in the senior leadership of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA). The union says the department has not dealt with the serious difficulties confronting the island’s farmers.

The union set out its position in an open letter dated 14 October. It was sent to the new Chief Minister, Chris Thomas, Isle of Man Government chief executive Mark Lewin and Members of Tynwald. According to Isle of Man Today, the letter was signed by MNFU general secretary Sarah Comish and asks for a written response within 10 days.

Breakdown in trust

The union said confidence in the department had collapsed after disputes over agricultural funding, food security, livestock imports and access to markets. “As a consequence of the current senior leadership approach, industry confidence in the Department has broken down,” the letter states, as reported by Isle of Man Today.

Energy FM reported that the six-page letter blames a lack of understanding of farming’s challenges, poor delivery of strategy, failures in decision-making and an absence of progress on urgent issues.

The union also said farming representatives had been shut out of important talks on food security, land management and carbon policy.

Livestock, BSE and the meat plant

One of the main complaints concerns breeding stock from Northern Ireland. The MNFU said it had negotiated an import route with biosecurity safeguards in place. That route was then disrupted when Steam Packet sailings changed after the Manxman broke down this summer.

The union claimed DEFA showed a “reluctance to act in a time critical situation”, Energy FM reported. It said farmers faced having to move animals through Scotland and England, adding cost and journey time. According to the letter, intervention by then Chief Minister Alfred Cannan, Mr Thomas as Treasury Minister and other MHKs was needed to resolve the problem.

The letter also criticises how DEFA has handled the difference in BSE risk status between the island and Great Britain. The union said this has restricted trade, devalued cattle and caused significant financial losses for producers.

On Isle of Man Meats, the union said millions of pounds of extra public spending had “failed to deliver certainty to producers or value to the public”. It described the meat plant, the creamery and the flour mill as strategic assets essential to food security. But it argued that spending on the meat plant had overshadowed support for agriculture more widely.

The MNFU said the agricultural budget had stayed broadly static for more than 15 years despite rising costs. It also said it had repeatedly asked for updates on the Government’s Food Security Plan without seeing evidence of action.

Call for change

The union is asking the incoming administration to review DEFA’s senior leadership urgently. It wants changes that include “the replacement of those whose leadership has demonstrably failed the industry”. The MNFU said it remains willing to work constructively with Government.

The letter does not name any individuals, Energy FM noted. The department’s chief officer is Tim Cowsill. Clare Barber remains DEFA Minister until a new minister is appointed following the general election.

Both Isle of Man Today and Energy FM said they had asked DEFA for comment.