The Isle of Man government is seeking a private operator for the island’s meat plant in an effort to make it more competitive and save public money.
The plant is currently run by Isle of Man Meats, a cooperative of farmers, and requires an annual government subvention, which in 2016 was said to rise to almost £1.4 million.
The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) is now looking for expressions of interest from commercial organisations interested in running the plant.
Geoffrey Boot, minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, commented: “After close consideration of all the options, the steering group concluded that securing a private operator will be the best solution for the agriculture industry and the taxpayer.
“Agriculture is vital to our economy and part of our unique heritage and culture. The meat plant is a strategic asset for the island.
“A commercial operator with a strong market focus and an eye on innovation can turn around the fortunes of the plant and this will support the industry.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
