Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
16 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 756.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-03 | Information held between 10-11 and 12 West Quay | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request was made for demolition order correspondence regarding a party wall between 10-11 and 12 West Quay from 2021 to the present. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture released some information but withheld the rest due to personal data exemptions and an ongoing planning enforcement investigation. | ||
| 2024-01-23 | Isle of Man Meats Disposal of Beef and Product Recall | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2023-04-28 | Minutes of the Wildlife Committee Meetings and BAP | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2022-08-08 | access to information regarding an allegation of noise nuisance. | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2021-11-02 | Staff qualifications at DEFA | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The requester asked for specific data on DEFA staff resignations with PhDs or veterinary degrees and their replacement rates over 10 years. The authority provided proxy data based on staff using the title 'Dr' and veterinary degree counts, but stated they lacked resources to determine exact replacement figures, leading to the request lapsing. | ||
| 2021-11-01 | The Dr Sharon Roberts Report DEFA Sea Dumping | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The requester sought the Dr Sharon Roberts Report and related correspondence regarding sea silt dumping at Peel Marina, but the request lapsed because the requester failed to provide a specific timeframe as requested by the authority. | ||
| 2021-10-22 | DEFA Consultants | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2021-07-13 | Meetings with developers | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2019-10-02 | Laxey River Wall Removal (DEFA) | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2019-08-15 | Policy and guidelines towards use of departmental resources | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A requester asked the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture for policies on political party use of departmental resources, along with lists of web domains and social media accounts. The request lapsed without any information being provided because the requester failed to respond to clarification emails from the authority. | ||
| 2019-07-29 | Data breaches | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request for data breach statistics and details from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture was made but ultimately lapsed because the requester failed to provide necessary clarifications on the scope of the data. | ||
| 2019-03-04 | Waste Licences | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| The requester asked for waste licence inspection reports, dates, and non-compliance notices, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture closed the request without providing information due to a lack of clarification on the scope. | ||
| 2019-01-28 | obstruction of the sound road u54 004 | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request for all correspondence regarding Dalby Mountain and its tracks from 1996 to 2019 was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. The request lapsed without information being provided because the applicant failed to clarify the overly broad scope after being asked to do so. | ||
| 2019-01-28 | obstruction of the sound road u54 003 | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2018-03-29 | Agricultural Development Scheme payments | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request was made for total payments and farmer counts under the Agricultural Development Scheme, but the request lapsed because the applicant found the information via a provided link and withdrew the request. | ||
| 2018-03-26 | Food Safety Inspection Reports | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| A request was made for food safety inspection reports for premises in Castletown since January 2015, but the requester subsequently withdrew the request in total after clarification discussions. | ||