Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
90 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 134.4%
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
All (90)
All information sent (121) ·
Some information sent but part exempt (90) ·
Information not held (71) ·
No information sent - all held but exempt (52) ·
Some information sent but not all held (38) ·
Not upheld (22) ·
Request lapsed - requested information not provided (16) ·
Not required to fulfill request (12) ·
Upheld - partial (6) ·
Repeated request (4) ·
Withdrawn (1) ·
Vexatious request (1) ·
Upheld - full (1) ·
Decision Notice - Complaint not upheld (1) ·
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-24 | Radiation levels in the Irish Sea | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-16 | Laxey Landslip | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-11 | Cringle & Earystane Quarries | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-08 | Costs of Unesco Biosphere | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-07-19 | Earystane & Scards, Sulby & Druidale | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-05-12 | Protection of birds and their nests | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-03-23 | Our house has been affected by a serious landslide | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-02-23 | Remuneration to specialist advisors | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-02-14 | Statutory Nuisance Investigations Policy Change | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-31 | Annual funding for Beach Buddies Isle of Man & monitoring of delivery. | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-31 | DEFA, ADS, previously Countryside Care Scheme. | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-31 | List of all DEFA bids to Treasury | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-11-29 | Douglas Summerhill Horse Tram stables | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-11-03 | FPV Barrule - email correspondence | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-09-12 | MFVP Barrule | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made regarding the MFVP Barrule's fisheries protection voyages and its operational status, specifically whether it was laid up due to technical difficulties. The authority disclosed monthly voyage counts but withheld specific dates under a crime prevention exemption, while clarifying that the vessel has not been laid up this year. | ||
| 2022-03-29 | Cringle Great Park | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought information regarding mountain bike trail usage and planning applications for Cringle Great Park since January 2012. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture confirmed no specific contracts or applications exist for the trail, though they listed historical planning applications for the wider area and directed the user to the public planning portal. | ||
| 2022-03-22 | Curraghs Wildlife Park | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought annual wallaby population data and details of animal escapes at Curraghs Wildlife Park from 2011 to 2022, along with the park's escape prevention plan. The authority provided a partial inventory report for wallabies and the full Animal Escape Policy document, but the outcome was recorded as 'part exempt' regarding the escape history data. | ||
| 2022-01-17 | Isle of Man's Provision for Waste Recycling | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for detailed statistics on household and industrial waste recycling, incineration rates, costs, and logistics in the Isle of Man was partially fulfilled, with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture directing the requester to existing public reports for most data. | ||
| 2021-10-18 | Copies of Planning Certificates | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for planning certificates for Sandygate House and Garage from 2012 onwards, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture refused to send copies directly, citing that the information is already reasonably accessible via their website or public counter. | ||
| 2021-04-12 | Registration of Cosy Nook Cafe, Shore Road, Port Erin | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2020-09-02 | Property considered suitable for registration | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought the number of properties with potential for protected building registration by parish and specific dates for Ramsey entries. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided counts for most areas but withheld data for sparsely populated parishes to prevent identification of specific buildings, citing prejudice to cultural heritage. | ||
| 2020-05-18 | Claimed Planning Breach. | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for details regarding a planning breach complaint, including the complainant's identity, the extent of the issue, and the date. The authority disclosed the nature of the complaint and the date but withheld the complainant's name citing data protection exemptions. | ||
| 2020-04-13 | Data on Food Supply Capacity of Local Producers | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for raw data supporting the DEFA Minister's claims of Isle of Man food self-sufficiency during the coronavirus pandemic. The authority responded that the information was already reasonably accessible via the 2015 Food Matters Strategy and online Agricultural Census data, citing Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015. | ||
| 2020-01-17 | Antrim mooragh Prom Ramsey Survey | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The applicant requested a survey for Flat 19 at Antrim Mooragh and details on other flats in the building. The authority disclosed the specific findings for Flat 19 but withheld information regarding other flats under an exemption for personal data. | ||
| 2020-01-13 | Live exports from the IOM | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for statistics on live farm animal exports from the Isle of Man was partially fulfilled, with export numbers directed to public websites while final destination details were withheld under health and safety exemptions. | ||
| 2020-01-09 | Animals killed at abattoir or exported | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought data on animal slaughter methods, export figures, and bird killing regulations on the Isle of Man since 2015. The authority confirmed that stunning is mandatory for all abattoir processing but withheld specific throughput numbers due to commercial confidence and export destinations due to health and safety concerns. | ||
| 2019-12-23 | Flooding of River Laxey on 1st October 2019 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture for documents regarding land ownership, flood defense strategies, and repair works on the River Laxey following the 2015 and 2019 flooding events. The authority responded with some information but withheld parts of the request, citing exemptions and referring certain queries to other sections of the response. | ||
| 2019-07-19 | Ramsey Marina | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought details regarding a 2018 internal circular and subsequent comments from DEFA officers concerning a proposed Ramsey Marina. The authority disclosed the specific technical and environmental feedback provided by the Fisheries Directorate and Ecosystem Policy Team, noting the proposal was premature and lacked necessary assessments. | ||
| 2019-07-15 | Penalties for Bracken | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought documentation regarding the implementation and specific penalties for Bracken Fern under the Agricultural Development Scheme (ADS) for 2018. The authority disclosed the regulatory history and specific acreage penalties for two businesses but withheld detailed records citing exemptions for research effort, public availability, and commercial interests. | ||
| 2019-05-13 | Acreage Payments | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2019-03-13 | report of operating a business from a farm | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester sought the identity of a person who reported them for storing goods on their farm and the associated objection letter. The authority disclosed the objection letter but refused to reveal the reporter's identity citing personal data exemptions. | ||
| 2018-11-19 | Subsidies for IoM Dairy industry | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for data on dairy subsidies, industry income, pollution cleanup costs, and cow numbers was partially fulfilled, with specific grant figures provided for IOM Creameries while other data was withheld as not held or publicly available. | ||
| 2018-04-30 | Sea Fisheries Licence Suspensions | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for details on suspended sea fisheries licences, including vessel names and holder identities, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture only disclosed specific suspension dates and one vessel name while withholding other details due to ongoing investigations. | ||
| 2018-03-06 | How many times has The Barrule been out of port in the past 12 months and when? | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request asked for the number of times and specific dates the vessel 'The Barrule' was out of port in the past 12 months. The authority disclosed the total number of trips but withheld the specific dates under a qualified exemption to prevent prejudice to crime prevention and enforcement tactics. | ||
| 2018-02-12 | Broomfield Cottage | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for details regarding Broomfield Cottage, specifically concerning work on a stream and trees, to which the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture responded by providing 106 pages of documents while withholding some information due to personal data exemptions. | ||
| 2018-01-22 | Milk Testing Results | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for Isle of Man Creameries milk testing results from 2017 was partially refused due to commercial interest exemptions, while somatic cell count data was withheld because the Department does not hold it. | ||
| 2017-12-06 | Ballamoar Farm - farm waste entering Barnel stream | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request was made for details on investigations, cautions, and prosecutions regarding farm waste from Ballamoar Farm entering the Barnel Stream since 2010. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture disclosed the number of investigations but withheld information on cautions issued under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015. | ||
| 2017-12-01 | Boarding and Homestay inspections | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought inspection reports and dates for boarding and homestay establishments over the past two years. While the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided a list of inspection dates, the actual reports were withheld as they contain exempt personal data. | ||
| 2017-04-19 | Planning App. 10/01892/B | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A Freedom of Information request was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture regarding Planning Application 10/01892/B. The authority responded by releasing some information while withholding parts of the 27-page document due to exemptions. | ||
| 2017-04-17 | Meat Plant Expressions of Interest | Some information sent but part exempt |
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