Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
4 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 3025.0%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) reveal an authority that is selectively transparent, often releasing historical or aggregate data while vigorously protecting current operational details, enforcement identities, and policy formulations. A clear pattern emerges regarding financial accountability: while the department disclosed a comprehensive list of 346 farmer payments for 2015 (355013), subsequent requests for similar granular data were frequently blocked as 'repeated' (914723) or redirected to public websites (462340). This suggests a reluctance to provide real-time financial scrutiny of agricultural subsidies, even as significant public funds, such as the £500,000 in meat plant subventions (355069), are acknowledged.
Key Cases
Case 355013 — A rare instance of full transparency where the department disclosed a list of 346 individual farmer payment amounts for 2015, setting a benchmark for financial openness that was not consistently maintained in later years.
Case 675466 — The release of the full 53-page investigation report into the Snaefell Mountain Railway runaway tram incident, overturning a previous refusal (563738) and demonstrating that safety data is eventually accessible once legal proceedings conclude.
Case 355047 — A complete refusal to disclose details of a planning enforcement complaint on Kella Road, citing confidential information and ongoing investigations, highlighting the department's strict protection of enforcement processes from public view.
Case 355057 — The withholding of heavy metal analysis and leachate results for Peel Marina under 'policy formulation' exemptions, raising concerns about the transparency of environmental risk assessments and waste management data.
Case 355035 — A request regarding Lorne House was deemed 'vexatious' after partial fulfillment, illustrating the department's use of resource burden arguments to halt persistent inquiries into specific planning or housing issues.
Related FOI Stories
The Meat Plant Saga: Funding, Tenders, and Safety — #355069, #355075, #355099, #355087, #625866
Planning Enforcement and Whistleblower Protection — #355047, #355079, #361141, #856665, #922953
Environmental Data: Leachate, Dredging, and Water Quality — #355045, #355057, #500235, #935114, #1165449
Agricultural Subsidies and Farmer Payments — #355013, #355063, #462340, #914723, #973789
Safety Incidents: Railways and Transport — #355051, #563738, #675466, #682066
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-06 | DEFA Internal Policy | Repeated request |
| 2019-08-05 | Payments made | Repeated request |
| The requester asked for total payments to farmers and the highest payments to the top three farmers over the last 12 months. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture refused to answer, citing that the request was substantially similar to one made in May 2019 and no reasonable interval had elapsed. | ||
| 2018-02-14 | Please provide any details for planning and enforcement cases in the last 18 months relating to the following property. Broomfield Cottage Qualtroughs Lane Ballafesson IM9 6TP | Repeated request |
| A request was made for planning and enforcement details regarding Broomfield Cottage in Ballafesson for the preceding 18 months. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture refused to provide the information, citing that it was a repeated request for which a reasonable interval had not elapsed. | ||
| 2017-07-05 | Meat Plant tender submissions | Repeated request |