The Isle of Man Government says that an ongoing investigation by insurers is preventing it from revealing how much meat has been destroyed at a production plant.

The Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, Clare Barber, was asked for a figure by MHK for Douglas North John Wannenburgh in a written question.

Isle of Man Meats came under scrutiny late last year and in early 2024 due to meat having to be recalled and destroyed due to an issue with equipment at the Meat Plant.

The company issued a statement to confirm that the issue had been the wrong use by dates appearing on packaging, but said there was ‘no concern that any of these products are “contaminated”’.

There have also been no reports of complaints or anyone being sick because of any meat that may have been purchased before the recall was issued.

In response to Mr Wannenburgh’s written question, Mrs Barber responded: ‘During that period delays in production were experienced whilst waiting for specialist engineers to arrive on island to repair the equipment.

‘An operational decision was made on the basis of high quality and food safety to dispose of the remaining stock.

‘The cost of produce lost for IOMMCL is confidential due to the matter being investigated with insurers under business interruption.’

Mr Wannenburgh also sought clarification that no farmers lost out because of this issue, with Mrs Barber saying that ‘no farmers supplying stock at the time, suffered any financial detriment as a result’.

She added: ‘All producers were paid for the stock as per the agreed terms and conditions and through the normal process.’

Mrs Barber has also stated that ‘the governance and operations at the Meat Plant have “significantly improved” since December 2022’.

Back in October 2022, a report into the island’s meat plant found that it was a clean set up with good facilities, but there were serious concerns about staffing, information handling and slow processes.

The ‘Birnie’ report highlighted issues around information gathering, while stating that finance and admin staff did not receive the right training to produce reports and information that would help manage the plant.

A ‘turnaround’ plan for the plant was discussed in December 2022 at Tynwald. MHK for Arbory, Castletown and Malew, Jason Moorhouse, asked Mrs Barber what the standard of governance at the plant currently is during Tuesday’s House of Keys sitting.

Mrs Barber replied: ‘Since the resolution in December 2022, the governance of the Meat Plant has been improved significantly, with non-executive directors appointed to the board of directors and the appointment of a new chairperson, all of whom are able to provide a breadth of experience in the spheres of governance, finance, risk and compliance.

‘The reform of the workforce has seen the hours and skills of the team at the plant be organised for the benefit of both the company and the employees.

‘From the outset, my department has been clear that the turnaround of our company would not be quick - but we have seen improvement.’