Price Of Manx Meat

[mollag]

The meat plant was built and owned by the Gov for the use of a private company, the fatstock association, same as the dairy, same as the Litts plant, same as the mill. The consumer pays in many many ways to keep the farmer in business and still the cost of local produce is extortionate.

[Lonan3]

The meat plant was built and owned by the Gov for the use of a private company, the fatstock association, same as the dairy, same as the Litts plant, same as the mill. The consumer pays in many many ways to keep the farmer in business and still the cost of local produce is extortionate.

Surely we have to keep the local farmer in business even if it does involve paying a bit more for our farm produce - unless everyone's forgotten the effect of the seamen's strike a few years ago?

[mollag]

surely we would have to be self sufficient in more than lamb and milk to survive? what about oil, petrol etc, how would you get the milk to the dairy without diesel, we dont even have sufficiency in fish to back it up.

 

Sorry, the self sufficiency reasoning was lost many years ago.

[manxchatterbox]

This week Tesco on the telly adverts have been promoting meat at a 25% discount..the advert didn't exclude the IOM so what's happening with the meat prices in the LakeRoad store?

[mollag]

Same as usual but not Tesco's fault i reckon.

 

With the 25% off in the UK, they are probably paying half what we pay for lamb

[manxchatterbox]

The Skeet said:-

"this price differance was blamed on the running costs of the meat plant at Tromode"

 

the IOM EX says it costs farmers £250 to slaughter a beast on the IOM compared to £50 / £60 in the UK...

 

....why can't one or two of the farmers go into business with a butchers and set-up their own slaughterhouse just to do low volumes which they can sell direct?

[Alias]

surely we would have to be self sufficient in more than lamb and milk to survive? what about oil, petrol etc, how would you get the milk to the dairy without diesel, we dont even have sufficiency in fish to back it up.

 

Sorry, the self sufficiency reasoning was lost many years ago.

Petrols can be stocked up, in tankers etc. (as well as the tanks underneath petrol stations), but food supplies don't last long. I doubt that we have much of any long life stocks (relative to the conditional demand), and as the lift shear on the Ben showed, the supermarkets do not stock beyond a few days supplies.

[manxchatterbox]

there is a prog on the telly about some chap who rears pedigree Essex pigs and who has a farm shop selling pork joints and sausages etc....he seem's to do okay and I wonder how if he can do it why can't a local farmer....

[Theskeat]

The Skeet said:-

"this price differance was blamed on the running costs of the meat plant at Tromode"

 

the IOM EX says it costs farmers £250 to slaughter a beast on the IOM compared to £50 / £60 in the UK...

 

....why can't one or two of the farmers go into business with a butchers and set-up their own slaughterhouse just to do low volumes which they can sell direct?

 

One of the arguements is the quality of meat which is down to the care and welfare of the animals while they are alive.

 

A well kept happy animal produces healthy good meat.

 

A factory farmed animal produces poor quality meat.

 

I would rather pay more for Manx meat knowing the animal has been treated fairly and slaughtered properly rather than the cowboy care and slaughtering that is unregulated and carries on in the UK despite UK regulations which many in the UK and EEC countries ignore.

 

Maybe you should ask a Manx Farmer how many off his animals get down graded when sent to the meat plant resulting in a loss of payment to the farmer, yet the same down graded animals meat is still sold in the butchers at full price.

[The Old Git]

there is a prog on the telly about some chap who rears pedigree Essex pigs and who has a farm shop selling pork joints and sausages etc....he seem's to do okay and I wonder how if he can do it why can't a local farmer....

 

Probably all of the free advertising he get by having a series on BBC helps to some extent.

[manxchatterbox]

ah don't think The Old Git has thought that through 'cos the prog wasn't on the telly during his set-up so although it may have picked up recently he seemed to be doing okay in any event...IMO it was because he had a quality product with traceability and at an attractive price with also lots to do to make the visit worthwhile i.e childrens animals etc...MoaneyMoar would be a good place for a farm shop as it already has an established business etc .. what do you think?

[mollag]

Im not convinced with the quality argument, im of the opinion thet manx lamb is so-so at best, as to animal welfare, well there have been a number of animal mistreatment cases in my time { lets not forget the moving of contaminated sheep prosecution}and we cannot assume that imported meat is raised badly.

 

In a nutshell we are forced, by law to pay perhaps the highest prices in europe for beasts we can see out of our windows, no great transportation costs, ie from NZ. We are being conned.

 

Who benefits from this and if it is not the consumer, then why do our representitives, employed to look after our interests and welfare, do about it?