Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
6 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 2016.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-27 | Inspectors Report AP25/0003 | Upheld - partial |
| The request sought details on the circulation and ministerial powers regarding Planning Appeal AP25/0003, but the response primarily disclosed correspondence concerning a different appeal (PA 24/00713/A) where an MHK questioned the release of a Strategic Reserve Site. | ||
| 2021-07-23 | Email Correspondence & Initial Assessment Research | Upheld - partial |
| The request sought email correspondence regarding specific planning applications and initial assessment research for various farms, to which the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided a partial response including a refusal recommendation for the Ballacroak development and historical research notes. | ||
| 2020-08-25 | Communications relating to Planning Applications | Upheld - partial |
| The requester sought all communications regarding three specific planning applications between department officers and applicants. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture partially upheld the request, releasing some documents while redacting personal data under absolute exemptions. | ||
| 2019-10-14 | E-mail correspondence re my complaint against Richard Lole | Upheld - partial |
| The requester sought email correspondence between the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture and the Public Services Commission regarding a complaint against Richard Lole after an initial informal request was declined due to recusal. The Information Commissioner upheld the request partially, though the provided text primarily outlines the appeal process and closes the review. | ||
| 2019-09-23 | Demolitions | Upheld - partial |
| The requester asked for the number of planning approvals for demolishing detached, non-registered buildings outside conservation areas since October 2011. The authority disclosed that such demolitions do not require planning approval, but provided a statistic of 282 demolition notices issued under the Building Control Act 1991 since January 2011. | ||
| 2018-08-22 | Runaway tram accident investigation report | Upheld - partial |
| A request was made for the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate report into a runaway Snaefell Mountain Railway tramcar incident on August 4, 2017. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture upheld the refusal to release the full report, citing an absolute exemption under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, though the outcome was marked as 'partial' following an internal review. | ||