The Manx Meat Monopoly

[Karellen]

I'm no expert on this subject, but I believe that UK farmers receive many of their subsidies from the EU.

 

Manx farmers can't benefit from EU subsidies, so if UK meat is given free access to the Isle of Man market, it will put local famers at a clear disadvantage, which doesn't seem right to me.

[Slim]

Our beef is already subsidised like...

[Mr. Sausages]

I don't mind my taxes subsidising local farming. When the oil runs out we'll all need it, so why run the risk of losing it to all to flats and offices? Food isn't a luxury.

[Rab]

A couple of years ago Manx fillet steak was in the region of £9 per pound. I found a butcher in Liverpool selling Manx fillet at £5 per pound. I asked him how he came to buy Manx meat. He said that any excess meat stock was sold to UK market after being sold to Manx shops. I bought 2 full fillets and imported (illegally) them back. I saved about £35.

[manxchatterbox]

an at least the fatsock Sausages are filled with manx meat

[Alex]

I think you're concentrating on the product, which is what the monopoly on meat does too. What this is really about is the farming industry as a whole. The use of land, the employment of farmers, the products, the community, etc. This isn't about sausages.

 

You bring up examples of cigs, alchohol and petrol. None of those things are controlled in a monopoly, so they're irrelevent. Cigs and petrol aren't produced here, so are also irrelivant as a comparrision.

They are controlled - extra taxes are levied upon them as a way to increase the amount of taxes received. Meaning there is a "user pays" on them, as there should be with luxury goods that are in general bad for the environment - like meat is.

 

I'm not saying we should encorage the import of meat. I live on a farm, I support the farming community. I travel quite far every weekend to make sure I buy local veg directly from the farmer. But the inflated meat prices isn't helping the local farms, because people buy less meat as a result, and it doesn't help veg at all. Far better to subsidise the farms to make them more competetive with imported produce, allow imported produce and healthy competition, and increase the sales of local meat as a result. You also give people the option to buy cheap shite if they like, I wont, but you can if you want, bosh.

Meat prices are not inflated. My £35 free range turkey served six people twice, the dog and 7 cats had some and there is still plenty left. How is that inflated or even expensive?

 

It's the same with veg, milk etc - it's all far underpriced, my Christmas meal for 6 again - all the veg for that was less than a tenner from the farm shop at Douglas market and there was loads left over! The frigging crackers cost more.

 

And I don't agree "cheap shite" should be available when we're talking about the farming of living creatures, due to the practises employed to produce it cheaper. But that's another argument.

 

Cheap sausages come in already, cheap joints come in already in frozen food packs in supermarkets.

 

Also worth noting, if local farmers were subsidised, they could also export meat cost effectively, something they can't easily do currently.

So we should all pay to ensure farmers can export? What about other industries? Farming is a business like any other. They should be able to make a profit on their produce. It is not the responsibility of the general population to help them. People won't choose Manx meat over foreign, most people couldn't care less where their meat or anything else is from, therefore Manx sales will inevitably go down, and subsidies go up if the ban is relaxed.

 

I'm not understanding your reasoning, you seem to be agreeing and disagreeing. You agree local is best, but want to allow cheap imported, lower standard foreign meat we have no control over.

You want a good farmers market but also want to allow cheap foreign mass produced meat to compete with them.

You support farmers yet want their profit and pricing to be lowered, and their reliance on govt handouts increased.

 

Eating local produce makes economic and environmental sense. If that means banning imports and restricting trade, so be it.

Wherever possible subsidies and handouts should be avoided imo - all that means is that everybody pays whether they can afford to or not.

[TheTool]

Well i like manx meat and like you all say its near organic quality.

 

But what i don't agree with is the fact we don't have a choice.

 

Why is it we can have imported chickens but we cannot have imported meat.

 

The reason i want a more choice is so people on a limited budget can still buy a bit of meat to feed the family.

 

Also i know a butcher in the northwest of england who has really good meat, he only sells quality meat from local stock for 40% cheaper than here.

 

I am all for protecting the farmer but i also like to think the customer needs a bit of help too.

 

I can buy a whole lamb over here for £50 so its not the farmer that is getting the big money is it.

[manxchatterbox]

indeed ..why do we have imported chicken???

[Utah 01]

There is no place for monopoly or protectionism in this day and age. As unfortunate as it may be, if Manx farmers can't compete then they will have to find something else to do. That is the harsh reality of the market economy and agriculture is no different to any other industry in that it should receive no preferential treatment. The Manx meat farmers must get down to marketing their produce as a quality product in the same way as the New Zealanders market their lamb and the Scots their beef.

[Beckett]

Tesco, Shoprite, M&S all sell non Manx meats.

[Dave the Cardboard Box]

Manx meat is superb quality

 

Subsidising local farmers is a problem because of EU regulations

 

For the next five years, our farmers will be protected from foreign meat imports and quite right to.

 

If cheap foreign imports flood the market here, farmers would go out of business within weeks.

 

And then what would happen to the wonderful Manx countryside?

 

And if a couple of decades into the future things change and we need to be totally self sufficient - there will be no local farmers to rely on. Keep eating Manx.

 

On the same subject, in a couple of days the protection on Manx milk runs out and supermarkets may start importing milk at half or reduced price.

 

Please keep buying Manx milk, or within weeks our dairy industry could also be decimated.

 

Old George needs to keep his job.

[ans]

There is no place for monopoly or protectionism in this day and age.

 

Only when it concerns your own industry eh?

 

http://www.manxforums.com/forums/index.php...ndpost&p=101549

 

"The government really needs to get real and take some action on this. Call it protection of Manx long term interests.

[Upstream]

And milk should be sold in glass bottles only. They are re-usuable. Probably thousands of times.

 

Cooil Bros down at Bradda use glass mik bottles. And many are 'Lesley Cooil' milk bottles that have been in circulation for decades.

 

And what happens to the milk cartoons you - yes, YOU - have in your fridge?

 

I suppose that now we have an incinerator the argument for needlessly bringing more plastic etc. onto the Island is so easy.

 

 

ps

Isn't it about time Old George was wheeled out to tell us all about Christmas Day on the farm. I know the cows don't have a day off with their hooves and udders up.

[Beckett]

Bottles would be better true, but the detergent and electricity to clean them would still have an environmental impact not to mention the impracticality of them. The milk round is declining which would cause a collection problem.

 

Anyhow, as the cartons are largely paper, better paper recycling might be in order!!

[TheTool]

What happened to protecting the manx fisherman ?

 

The Year is 2005 not 1905 the world has moved on and we all know it, everything is driven by price.

 

 

The thing that makes me wonder is how can the manx farmer not compete? he has little to pay when it comes to moving his stock to the slaughter house compared to the UK farmer but it costs more over here.

 

I am sure that if you produce a product over here and sell it to the locals it must be cheaper than importing it from the UK ?

 

Or am i just not working the maths right ?

 

Ohh and phil gawne knows the imports will come in because if they don't the isle of man will be fined or excluded from the EU