A failure to recognise the importance of Manx food production has resulted in a worse than necessary cost of living crisis, according to the chairman of Mec Vannin.

Mark Kermode was talking at the annual Illiam Dhone memorial at Hango Hill this afternoon (Monday).

During his customary introduction, Mr Kermode said that the pandemic had represented an opportunity for the island to re-establish Manx manufacturing and food production, but that the chance had been missed

He said: ‘We are back relying on imported bread. We’ve lost, of course, Ramsey Bakery, which was the major supplier and the government’s response was we’re not in the business of making bread.

‘Well they’re not in the business of running a shipping company either, but quite rightly they acquired the Isle of Man Steam Packet and such a staple as bread production, it should have been realised that even as an interim measure, production at the Ramsey Bakery site should’ve been maintained, with cooperation of the owners, who were about to celebrate 50 years, before they changed their mind and shut instead.

‘We’re currently experiencing a terrific shortage of eggs on the Isle of Man, particularly Manx eggs, because of avian flu and, because of the almost cottage industry nature of egg production on the Isle of Man, we’re very susceptible.

‘The western area, which is the major area for Manx egg production, has been severely curtailed because of avian flu.

‘These are all things that we can easily get it going again, Manx wheat makes good bread I can tell you and the knock-on effects are terrific. 

‘We live in an economy which always defaults to expedience and short-term ease instead of long-term worth, so the money that we spend on what we call short term imports is actually very expensive because every penny out of our economy is a penny you have to replace.

‘So here we are now suffering massive price increases because of world events and yes, it would’ve impacted on us anyway to some degree, but we could have alleviated it so much more if the government actually acted like a national government instead of its very expedient approach.

‘So we really have to have a good look and I would ask the government members, who will hear what we say today, to have a good look at their objective for the future.’

Mr Kermode did have some positives to talk of, as he saw it, saying ‘we managed to get rid of Will Greenhow’ [the government’s chief secretary, who resigned on May 16]. 

The annual service marks the death of the Manx patriot Illian Dhone, also known as William Christian. Dhone was executed on a charge of treason brought by Charles, 8th Earl of Derby, on January 2, 1763, a charge that many still see as unjust.