More imported bread likely on the Isle of Man 'in the short-term'

The firm will continue baking bread for supermarkets until mid-May before closing

Wholesalers will have to rely on imported bread after the closure of the Isle of Man's largest bakery, a minister has said.

Ramsey Bakery has agreed to continue baking until mid-May, having previously announced it was due to shut in April.

Environment Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber said customers were likely to see more off-island loaves on shelves "in the short-term".

Other local bakeries may also see production rise as a result, she added.

The government and the island's artisanal producers were currently "not in the position" to step in to fill the gap left in the bread market by the impending closure, Ms Barber said.

Talks had been held with those bakeries to see what was "in the realms of the possible", she said, however attempts to replicate the scale of the Ramsey firm's operation "would put them in a difficult position".

Ms Barber also said the government was considering an "additional subvention in the short-term" for the state-owned Laxey Glen Mills, which supplies the majority of its flour to Ramsey Bakery.

Ramsey Bakery employs about 80 staff

The company, which began trading in 1972, has blamed high input costs for its decision to close.

Although the firm's Mr B's bakery and sandwich deli shops closed on Friday, the bakery announced it would continue to produce bread and rolls for two supermarkets for a further fortnight.

Ms Barber said it will be "sad" that there would be "less Manx product on the shelf" when the company does stop production.

Input costs and economies of scale meant that it was difficult for the firm to compete with cheaper imported bread, she said.

"They could not have made that bread cheaper, so it is not that they were taking a huge profit off," she added.