Isle of Man meat plant failings highlighted in damning report

The facility at Tromode receives an annual £2m government subvention

Serious failings in the running of the Isle of Man's loss-making meat plant have been revealed in a damning report.

Its authors found poor management and an "extremely slow pace" meant the government-owned facility in Tromode was not operating efficiently.

Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber has taken over as chairman of the plant's board while a "turnaround plan" is developed.

She said a functioning facility was "pivotal" to Manx agriculture.

The plant is run by Isle of Man Meats, a company set up by the government in 2018 to reverse the facility's financial fortunes.

It has required annual subventions of about £2m to stay in business.

'Overall malaise'

The audit was commissioned by the government to find out why the plant, which employs about 50 people, was continuing to make such "substantial and increasing losses".

The authors found:

• An "overall malaise" at the factory

• A slow pace of work leading to the need for additional workers

• A "toxic staff culture" caused by poor senior leadership

• A lack of staff training

• A "fundamentally flawed" sales model

• "Very large failings" in following regulations

These issues had collectively led to "poor prices, poor customer service, slow processing, high operating costs, unskilled staff, product damage and poor adherence to legal requirements", the report concluded.

The plant's manager has resigned in the wake of the report, with four new directors appointed to Isle of Man Meats while efforts begin to recruit a new manager and permanent chairman.

The report found that with better leadership, the plant could "easily" increase throughput.

Authors recommended a smaller team of "faster, more skilled, higher-paid employees" in the future.

Ms Barber said the facility was important to food security on the island, and she looked forward to addressing the challenges laid out in the report.