The MNFU has criticised the island’s food security stance, warning that local producers are being overlooked and Manx farming left vulnerable.
In a statement issued to Manx.News, the MNFU said it was “remarkable” that Tynwald discussions on food security, prompted in part by instability in the Middle East, remain centred on import routes rather than the island’s own capacity to produce food.
“It seems remarkable that while the Isle of Man produces world-class food to the highest welfare and environmental standards, the Tynwald debate including ‘food security’ in response to events in the Middle East and the political conversation appears almost entirely fixated on imports,” the statement said.
Stronger Support For Manx Produce
The union argued that food security must begin with safeguarding local production and ensuring farmers have viable access to the domestic market.
“Every time our Manx farming sector is weakened, then so is our food security,” the MNFU said.
The comments follow the union’s 2025 petition calling for stronger government protection for Manx-grown food, which gathered more than 1,800 signatures before being presented to Tynwald in December.
The MNFU says the petition was “diluted” by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture, with key measures removed, including proposals to prioritise local produce in government procurement.
According to the union, most MHKs declined to back protections that would have strengthened the local food economy, instead placing confidence in the Government’s Food Security Plan 2024.
But the MNFU says progress has been limited, citing slow movement on provenance labelling and a lack of retailer interest in expanding Manx ranges.
Rising Costs & Shrinking Markets
The statement highlights the severe pressures facing producers, including the surge in fertiliser prices following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
“When the war in Ukraine began, fertiliser prices increased by over 350% in the space of a few months,” the MNFU noted, adding that reduced production across the UK contributed to food price inflation of up to 19% in 2023.
Manx farmers, it says, have been hit even harder due to “rapidly diminishing access to market” and post‑Brexit failures to secure the island’s trading position with the UK and EU.
“Manx agriculture delivers enormous value to the island’s economy, environment and rural communities, but the whole industry cannot realistically operate as a niche supplier and survive,” the statement warned.
Food Supply & Farming Cannot be Separated
The MNFU argues that government policy continues to treat food supply and farming as separate issues, despite being fundamentally linked.
“The uncomfortable reality is that Government continues to speak about food supply and farming as though they are separate policy areas. However, one does not exist without the other,” it said.
The MNFU is calling for a major shift in how food security is discussed at national level, urging policymakers to focus less on global supply chains and more on strengthening the island’s own production base.
