Local producers have informed Manx.News of yet another machinery breakdown at the Government owned Isle of Man Meats in Tromode.
Sources have told us the breakdown has resulted in ten cattle being held for over a week in the lairage area at the plant.
This news comes after the Minister for Agriculture told the House of Keys yesterday (February 13), that the new operational team at the Meat Plant was improving producer confidence.
Meat Plant
The latest scandal from the Isle of Man Meats follows on from only a few weeks ago when the plant was re-calling a bunch of beef products after a breakdown over the Christmas period.
A source told Manx.News that this was avoidable and the cattle shouldn’t have been killed at the time due to operational issues at the plant.
Since then, the plant has cancelled kills this week, again – this is allegedly because the saw in the plant is not working.
Not only is this a severe issue for cash flow for farmers, but yet again added cost to the farmer for extra feed and bedding for the held stock when there is a national shortage of product.
Many farmers are having to attempt to import these products at an eye-watering cost due to them being unavailable on Island, and sparse in the UK.
Lairage area
Last year, the Meat Plant also held a number of Spring Lambs in the lairage area for an extended period of time.
The livestock due to be slaughtered, were held at the plant for more than seven days after operational breakdowns.
Lairage is the holding of livestock at abattoirs prior to slaughter.
House of Keys
In a written answer dated yesterday (February 13), Minister Barber admitted that delays over the festive period “resulted in some beef stock being kept longer than usual”.
Adding that an “operational decision was made on the basis of high quality and food safety to dispose of the remaining stock”.
She added that “the cost of produce lost for IOMMCL is confidential due to the matter being investigated with insurers under business interruption”.
Industry experts have told Manx.News that the value is likely to be around £70,000.
Although she states that no farmers supplying stock at this time, suffered any financial detriment as a result, producers are arguing that farmers were at a financial loss due to the timescale to get livestock into the plant.
The Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) and Isle of Man Meats have both been contacted on numerous occasions for multiple issues, and at all times have refused to answer the questions we have asked.
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