Substantial reforms to the Board of Isle of Man Meats has been made by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).
The reform will see the appointment of five new directors to the Meat Plant’s Board, including a new Chair.
The primary objective of the restructured Board will be to stabilise operations and provide enhanced certainty for farmers regarding production levels.
The newly appointed directors are:
- Damien Corcoran (Chair): A food retail leader with international retail experience and a background in strategic and organisational change.
- Rob Teare: A Manx butcher with substantial red meat experience.
- Dr Jonathan Birnie: An agricultural economist and the principal author of a comprehensive report on the abattoir.
- Philip Birnie: An experienced red meat businessman with expertise in abattoir and meat processing operations.
- Andrew McKeown: A Manx farmer and haulier who has industry experience in the abattoir sector, particularly procurement.
Following today’s changes the Meat Plant Board will have seven members in the total, with Rebecca Miah (Managing Director) and Allan Skillicorn (Isle of Man Fat Stock Marketing Association (FMA) Director remaining on the Board.
Big Reform to Board
Successive administrations have attempted to address longstanding issues at the plant, which range from financial stability and Government subvention levels to operational concerns, such as, maintenance, asset management, and animal welfare.
Government say that the reformed Board now needs to pivot into a production and sales focus while ensuring a robust approach to financial governance.
The changes will take place with immediate effect.
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