Isle of Man Meats has appointed Colin Pilkington as its new compliance manager.

Mr Pilkington, who is from Chorley in Lancashire, has 30 years’ experience working in the food industry, predominantly in the red meat sector.

His CV includes several senior managerial roles including 10 years at Kepak in Preston, Lancashire, where his last role was as quality manager, and five years at Dunbia (also in Preston) where he was primary technical manager.

He joins Isle of Man Meats from Severn Valley Lamb in the West Midlands where he worked as a plant manager.

In his new role his responsibilities (in addition to compliance) will cover external audits, customer service, staff training and development, and supporting the production team.

Mr Pilkington said: ‘Joining Isle of Man Meats provides an exciting new challenge in new surroundings.

‘More and more consumers are concerned about provenance, traceability, and quality – and these are all really strong selling points for Isle of Man Meats produce.

‘I’m looking forward to playing a part in increasing consumer demand both on and off-island.’

Phil Parsons, plant director at Isle of Man Meats, said: ‘Colin has worked in a number of roles involving production, technical, training, and quality control, and this wide range of knowledge and wealth of experience in the meat industry makes him ideal as our new compliance manager.

‘Recruiting someone of his calibre is the latest evidence of the growing status of Isle of Man Meats within the industry, and he is a welcome and valuable addition to our team.’

Isle of Man Meats attended the Royal Manx Agricultural Show.

‘This was the second year that Isle of Man Meats has attended the event.

‘The company says it provided a great opportunity to meet producers and customers, and to offer everyone at the show the chance to sample delicious, high quality, Manx meat which is available from butchers and retailers across the island.’