Phil Gawne, Minister, Department of Environment Food and Agriculture, said:
'A strong partnership operates on the Isle of Man between the farmers, the Government, Isle of Man meats and the local retailers such as Shoprite and the Independent butchers. This means that customers can be reassured that they know exactly what they are buying.
The recent situation has only served to highlight the importance of being able to trace the provenance of meat. In a world where corners continue to be cut and economies are made that result in sub standard products we are proud of the work that Manx farmers carry out to deliver premium quality meat to local consumers.'
Consumers can buy fully traceable, naturally reared premium quality meat, raised on local farm assured farms, including locally bred beef, lamb and pork as well as niche products such as rare breed pork, Loaghtan Lamb and totally Manx products such as sausages and burgers, gammon and bacon that have been produced by the local independent butchers and food retailers such as Shoprite.
All premises either retailing fresh Manx meat, or adding value to the local product are independently inspected on a regular basis by the DEFA food safety team. Both Manx and imported food is regularly checked by DEFA to ensure it complies with recognized food standards.
Graham Crowe, Chairman, Isle of Man Meats commented:
'The Isle of Man benefits from the auditing standards operated by Isle of Man Meats that ensure that any batch of Manx meat sold on the Isle of Man is directly traceable back to the farm that supplied it.'
