Local butcher, Lee Mayers Butchers has been unable to get Manx meat from Isle of Man Meats, which has resulted in him having to bring in meat from the UK.
On a social media post, Lee has said he will now be looking at getting Manx meat ‘another way’.
Lee has been left with no other option than to bring meat in from across the Irish Sea.
He says, ‘I can’t keep turning customers away which has pushed me into bringing it in from across’.
Cattle from the Isle of Man are regularly being sent to meat plants in the UK due to the ‘huge waiting time’ to book into the IOM Government owned meat plant.
Lee says ‘It might seem a long winded way of doing it but I can still get it here quicker from a meat plant across than the one 20mins up the road’.
Manx meat
Lee says he has tried his best to push and supply the very best of Manx meats, but since Christmas Isle of Man Meats ‘have let us butchers down with stuff missing on a regular basis’.
Lee said: “Last week I put an order in to be delivered today and was told by Stan (sales manager) that the order will be fine for Monday.
“I received a phone call call at 11am to be told I have no pork trim coming so can’t make sausages on wed now, no lambs till later in the week and most of the order is missing.”
“I can’t keep turning customers away which has pushed me into bringing it in from across. This isn’t something I want to do but under the current management at the meat plant there is no communication or support for the butchers who are telling customers it will be here for it not to turn up.
“I will be looking at getting Manx meat another way as there is Manx cattle going across regular as farmers have a huge waiting time to book into meat plant.”
Not the only butcher
Lee added that it ‘seems crazy the farmers can’t get it into the plant and we can’t get any out’.
He says he is not the only butcher having this problem, it’s all of them.
He has reassured customers that the meat plant he uses in the UK is one that is ‘very well renowned one for quality produce and a great quality control on all produce’.
Lee says that ‘If things change I would go back to buying Manx produce but can’t see anything changing as this has been going on 6 months now’.
Supply issues
In April of this year, a local processor of Manx meat had been forced to close it website down for a second time in just over a week, due to problems with meat supply.
Andreas Meats produce sausages, black puddings and whole host of other retailer and consumer prepared cuts of meat made from supplies of Isle of Man Meats.
Manx.News spoke to managing director of Andreas Meats, Philip Bucuris to find out the impact the meat supply problems has on the business.
For Andreas Meats the lack of communication and product from the plant causes a cashflow issue.
With no stock coming in, resulting in nothing to sell, Phil said this makes ‘the simple things become difficult, paying wages, paying bills, it gets very hard very quick’.
Andreas Meats has heavily invested in achieving more accreditations over the winter in order to sell into Tesco, with this comes extra costs for upgraded machinery, packaging and facility work.
2 Comments