Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture
436 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 27.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-07-23 | Planning Application Independent Assessment | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for the average number of planning application refusals overturned by independent assessment per year, specifically for 2023. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture refused to provide the data directly, citing that it is already reasonably accessible via the government's Open Data webpage. | ||
| 2024-07-16 | Plantation Catering Van Applications | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture regarding catering van applications at plantations, resulting in the disclosure of application counts, contract durations, and trading status. The authority confirmed that no future plans exist for installing public toilets in the plantations. | ||
| 2024-06-28 | Health Impact from current Power Plants | Information not held |
| A request was made for calculations regarding the public health impact and societal cost of NOx and SOx emissions from Pulrose and Peel power stations. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture responded that the information is not held as no such calculations have been undertaken. | ||
| 2024-06-18 | Climate Change and Sustainability Island Wide | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for detailed budget and spending data on Isle of Man climate change initiatives was partially fulfilled, with a table of 17 specific projects and their financial status provided, while information on future initiatives requiring additional budget was withheld. | ||
| 2024-06-05 | On-call information | Some information sent but part exempt |
| A request for on-call staff details at the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture was partially fulfilled, disclosing hours and response times while withholding specific pay rates due to personal data exemptions and directing the requester to public HR resources for call-out fees. | ||
| 2024-05-30 | MHO's (Houses in Multiple Occupation) | All information sent |
| The request sought the number of registered Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), their locations by sheading, and total room counts on the Isle of Man. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture disclosed that 20 HMOs are registered across three local authorities with a total of 210 rooms. | ||
| 2024-05-24 | Business case for the 'Farm carbon engagement officer' | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought documentation for the creation of the Farm Carbon Engagement Officer position, including the business case and draft contract. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture released some information regarding project scope and salary calculations but withheld other details as out of scope. | ||
| 2024-05-21 | Protection of sites of critical importance for nature conservation | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The requester asked for confirmation on the status of biodiversity protection targets and specific land conservation statistics under the Isle of Man Biodiversity Strategy. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture confirmed that not all critical sites are protected, cited a lack of resources and previous fisheries agreements as reasons, and directed the requester to an online dashboard showing 19.76% of land is currently protected. | ||
| 2024-05-09 | Minutes of the Wildlife Committee Meetings | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought minutes and decisions from the Isle of Man Wildlife Committee regarding American XL Bully dogs from August 2022 onwards. The authority disclosed a specific consultation report and committee recommendation to ban the breed under the Wild Animals Act, though some information was redacted. | ||
| 2024-05-07 | asbestos retained in Old Nurses Home project | Decision Notice - Complaint not upheld |
| A request was made for reports and risk assessments regarding asbestos removal and retention in the Old Nurses Home project, to which the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture disclosed the timeline of awareness but withheld specific risk assessment documents citing commercial sensitivity. | ||
| 2024-05-03 | Free press: DEFA payments for media coverage | All information sent |
| The request sought details of DEFA payments for sponsored newspaper articles over five financial years to ensure press scrutiny. The authority disclosed that no payments were made in 2019-2020, but provided specific amounts and article titles for the IOM Examiner and IOM Courier for the subsequent four years. | ||
| 2024-04-18 | Live farm animal exports | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| A request for data on live farm animal exports, veterinary costs, and government subsidies for the IOM Meat Plant was made to the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture. The authority refused to disclose the information, citing that monetary values are held by private farmers, questions regarding necessity and food security seek opinions rather than recorded data, and the response was cut off before addressing cost-related queries. | ||
| 2024-04-16 | Cost of posts lining the road at Smeale | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-03-06 | DEFA Internal Policy | Repeated request |
| 2024-03-06 | Provision of short posts at Smeale. | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-02-27 | Land use costs | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2024-02-26 | Fouling | All information sent |
| 2024-02-22 | Internal Policy on Administrative Procedures | Information not held |
| 2024-02-22 | Pre-application advice given to Dandara - 24/00055/B | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-02-21 | Bats and St Bridgets (Bride) Church | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2024-02-13 | Details of Scoping for the EIA for Earystane and Scard Turbine Site | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2024-02-06 | Schedule 4 birds kept in captivity | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2024-01-29 | emails with ramsey town commissioners referencing racist language | Not upheld |
| 2024-01-23 | Isle of Man Meats Disposal of Beef and Product Recall | Request lapsed - requested information not provided |
| 2024-01-17 | Carbon literacy training | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought details on the procurement, costs, and attendance figures for Carbon Literacy training across Isle of Man public bodies. The authority disclosed the training provider, budget, payments made, and staff attendance numbers, while directing the requester to existing financial regulations for procurement process details. | ||
| 2024-01-02 | Consultation on proposals relating to Building Control | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-12-19 | Castletown failed land review | Information not held |
| 2023-12-12 | Herring Catch returns 2023 | Not required to fulfill request |
| 2023-12-06 | Information pertaining to 22/11 meeting with Ramsey Town Commissioners | Not upheld |
| 2023-11-21 | Acoustic survey - Earystane & Scard | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-11-21 | Reyart Vradda | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-11-14 | Risk Assessment | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-10-25 | Enforcement cabin Kattegat | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-10-10 | Complaints made against the flora in Cronk Grianagh Estate | Information not held |
| 2023-10-09 | Planning permission of Sirius Insight Mast at the VOR site off | Information not held |
| 2023-10-06 | Manx Wildlife Trust | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-10-04 | RdSAP 10 Implementation in the Isle of Man | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-09-26 | Wool clip contract | All information sent |
| 2023-08-29 | Carbon Neutral | Information not held |
| 2023-08-25 | The uplands strategy steering group report | All information sent |
| 2023-08-24 | Radiation Levels in Manx Agriculture and Produce | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-24 | Radiation levels in the Irish Sea | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-08-22 | Meat Plant | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-08-17 | Planning - Major Application Process | All information sent |
| 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 |
| 2023-08-07 | Planning enforcement | All information sent |
| 2023-07-27 | FIELD 420426 - PLANNING APPLICATION 23/00359/B | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-07-27 | AGRICULTURE TEAM | All information sent |