The government met with Ramsey Bakery directors on Wednesday (April 6) to discuss its closure.

Chief Minister Alfred Cannan made a statement in the House of Keys on Tuesday and said that his thoughts were with ‘the 80 or so people’ who work at the bakery.

It follows the announcement at the weekend that Ramsey Bakery would shut at the end of this month as the business has become ‘unsustainable’ – this includes Mr B’s shops.

The business blamed the dramatically changing marketplace and the challenges that come with sourcing adequate and affordable resources.

Mr Cannan said the meeting with the bakery would help government understand if there is a role for it to play for a ‘better transition’.

He explained the government would ‘work appropriately with all those affected’ to help them reskill and retrain ‘if indeed the bakery does shut’.

The chief minister said that the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) is currently reviewing its food security strategy in response as there are ‘significant impacts across the supply chain’ and it needs to understand what the future of bread supplies looks like.

There will be updated advice ‘in a few weeks’, according to Mr Cannan.

The impact the closure will have on Laxey Glen Mill and farmers across the island is also currently being assessed.

When asked if he had had any dialogue with the bakery by Douglas North MHK John Wannenburgh, the chief minister said he hadn’t met with Ramsey Bakery since he had begun his role in September but DEFA Minister Clare Barber had been working with them.

Mr Cannan added that ‘no indication’ had been given to the government about the impending closure of the privately-owned business.

It appears the closure plans are still going ahead despite the meeting between the bakery and DEFA.

Following the meeting on Wednesday, the bakery released an updated statement, saying: ‘We are extremely humbled by the messages of kindness from supporters of our business.

‘Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to share their sadness, gratitude and support in any way over the past few days.

‘The understanding and loyalty from our incredible team of people has been amazing. They continue to pull together to ensure that excellent service is provided to our many customers and we are so terribly grateful to them.

‘We are also indebted to all of our many suppliers, not least Laxey Glen Mills, for their continued service to us and for their understanding of the heart-breaking decision that we have had to make.

‘We had a very constructive meeting with the Minister and chief executive officer of DEFA this evening and we have offered to assist in any way possible to enable a manageable transition over the coming weeks to help our customers and support other island companies during this challenging time.

‘The last plant bakeries in Jersey and Guernsey closed in 2013 and we are proud that we have managed to maintain a supply of locally produced quality bread and rolls, along with our much-loved range of sandwiches, savouries and confectionery for as long as we have.

‘We will be pulling out all the stops to keep serving our island over the next few weeks before we finally have to say goodbye at the end of April.’

The Courier contacted the government before we went to press on Thursday, but were told DEFA had no comment on how the meeting went.

Political party Liberal Vannin released a statement welcoming news of the meeting, calling for ‘the utmost clarity in steps government will be taking to ensure that the interests of employees and affected businesses are protected’.

Chair of the party, Paul Weatherall, said: ‘Indeed, we hope that her discussions will result in Ramsey Bakery continuing to trade in some form.

‘In the light of those discussions, we also urge government to review the island’s strategic position regarding the future of Laxey Glen Mills Ltd and the island’s farmers who supply it with milling wheat.

‘Whilst it is our view that a healthy competitive market with minimal government intervention is the preferred outcome we must also ensure that the island has a sustainable, long term approach to food security and government must not be afraid to intervene to protect the island’s strategic interests where necessary.’