Agri-Environmental Budget

Summary

The requester asked for Agri-Environment Annual Payment Reports for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 to investigate rumors of budget reallocation to a meat plant. The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture withheld the reports under Section 41 as they are held for future publication, but confirmed the budget was not reallocated.

Key Facts

• The Agri-Environmental Scheme budget has not been reallocated to Isle of Man Meats.
• The requested payment reports for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 are exempt from disclosure.
• The exemption is based on Section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015 (information for future publication).
• The Department anticipates the information will be publicly available by the end of the current financial year.
• The public interest test determined that withholding the data to ensure accuracy and validation outweighs the interest in immediate disclosure.

Data Disclosed

• 2021-2022
• 2022-2023
• 2023-2024
• 2024-2025
• 26 November 2025
• 23 December 2025
• 5122661
• Section 41

Exemptions Cited

• Section 41 – Information for future publication

Original Request

Dear Sirs, My sister-in-law telephoned me last night to say that the budget for the Agri-Environmental Scheme has been transferred to the meat plant which needs another bail out. This is incredibly unfair as she will now miss out on payments herself. I see on your website (https://www.gov.im/categories/business-and-industries/agriculture/agri-environment-initiatives-grant-scheme/) that you have posted the Agri-Environment Annual Payment Reports for 2021-2022 & 2022-2023. Please can I have access to your Agri-Environment Annual Payment Reports for 2023-2024 & 2024-2025. I want to see where all the money has gone. Thank you,

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

Our ref: 5122661 23 December 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 26 November 2025, which states:

My sister-in-law telephoned me last night to say that the budget for the Agri- Environmental Scheme has been transferred to the meat plant which needs another bail out. This is incredibly unfair as she will now miss out on payments herself.

I see on your website (https://www.gov.im/categories/business-and- industries/agriculture/agri-environment-initiatives-grant-scheme/) that you have posted the Agri-Environment Annual Payment Reports for 2021-2022 & 2022-2023.

Please can I have access to your Agri-Environment Annual Payment Reports for 2023-2024 & 2024-2025. I want to see where all the money has gone.

Section 41 – Information for future publication
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the information is exempt from disclosure under section 41 of the Act as it is held with a view to being published at a future date and in all the circumstances it is reasonable that the information be withheld from disclosure until that time.

As section 41 is a qualified exemption, it is subject to a public interest test. The public interest must be something that is of serious concern and benefit to the public at large.

Factors in favour of disclosure • Promoting transparency and accountability.
• Preventing misinformation or speculation.
• Supporting timely access to information

Factors in favour of withholding • Information requires validation of completeness
• Premature disclosure could undermine accuracy and integrity of published data
• Disclosure before validation could damage stakeholder confidence
• Early release may create unfair implications to recipient of the scheme

In taking these factors into account the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture determined that the factors in favour of maintaining the exemption outweigh the factors in favour of disclosing the information.

To provide advice and assistance, the Department anticipates that this information will be publicly available by the end of the current financial year.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture confirms that the Agri-Environmental Scheme budget has not been reallocated to Isle of Man Meats.

Please quote the reference number 5122661 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on:

1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or

2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.

In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision.

More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im.

Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.