The Isle of Man Meat Plant has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the island’s farming industry and ensuring ‘long-term food security’ after a local butcher said he had been forced to turn to UK suppliers due to ongoing problems with deliveries.

Lee Mayers, who runs Mayer’s Butchers in Kirk Michael, said he had ‘no choice’ but to start sourcing some meat from the UK after what he described as increasingly unreliable supplies from Isle of Man Meats.

In a Facebook post on Friday morning, Mr Mayers explained that despite placing his orders on time, recent deliveries had arrived late in the week or contained only partial orders, leaving him unable to meet customer demand.

He wrote: ‘As you have seen by my posts, I have done my best to push and sell Manx meats, however over the last few weeks it’s been getting later in the week – deliveries with next to nothing in and having to turn customers away, which is just not good enough.

‘When I first went back, I was getting my full order Tuesday with lambs coming Thursday, which was great. It gave us the time to prep and have what we need ready for the weekend. Now it’s coming in dribs and drabs, even though our orders are in before 9am Monday as requested.

‘For the small amount of us trying to sell Manx meat, it is an absolute shambles and just shouldn’t be happening.’

Mr Mayers said his decision to bring in more UK meat was not one he wanted to make, but he could not risk further disruption ahead of the busy Christmas period.

‘Unfortunately, I will be bringing the majority in from the UK again – not because I want to, but if they are struggling to meet suppliers’ orders now, what is going to happen at Christmas peak time? I’m not willing to take the risk,’ he said.

He added that he would continue to buy Manx produce whenever possible, saying local butchers were being unfairly criticised for issues beyond their control.

‘I don’t think it’s fair that local butchers are taking the flack for not meeting orders when it’s simply because we are not getting it when required,’ he said.

However, over the weekend Mr Mayers said he had spoken directly with Isle of Man Meats and was hopeful the situation could improve.

In an update on Saturday, he thanked the company for listening to his concerns and said he would continue to stock Manx meat ‘as much as we can’.

He wrote: ‘I would like to thank Isle of Man Meats for listening and setting a meeting and [I’m] sure we can get things rolling so we can carry on moving forward.’

Following Mr Mayer’s post on Friday, Isle of Man Meats issued a statement to Isle of Man Today reaffirming its commitment to the local agricultural sector.

It said: ‘The Isle of Man Meat Company remains dedicated to supporting the island’s agricultural sector and ensuring long-term food security for our community.

‘We are pleased to report that livestock numbers are now increasing and are expected to return to normal levels over the coming weeks, continuing through the Christmas period and beyond.’

Michael Barker, general manager of Isle of Man Meats, added: ‘Open communication with our stakeholders remains central to how we operate, and we are committed to strengthening this further as we move forward.

‘We have been in direct contact with Mr Mayers to discuss how to alleviate any further issues, and we are working together to achieve this.’