AGRICULTURE Minister Phil Gawne MHK hopes he will soon be able to unveil details about the emergency financial support government can offer to farmers whose businesses were devastated by the snow.
He told iomtoday that while he wanted to do his best for the industry: ‘Some of the hit is going to have to be borne by the farmers.’
The Council of Ministers gave its approval last month for some sort of funding, and since then Mr Gawne has held a number of meetings with the Manx National Farmers’ Union.
When asked how the development of the support was going, he said: ‘We’re still in the “it’s too early to be absolutely sure” stage. We have got a variety of ideas and the MNFU has too.
‘We are going to have to come forward on the scheme with clarity in the next week or so.’
He said dead sheep were still being uncovered: ‘We need to understand the scale of the problem before we can be absolutely guaranteed what we need to do.’
It’s estimated that 8,000 sheep were killed in the snow, which was just under 10 per cent of the island’s breeding flock. The cost of replacing the animals would be about £1m, while the lost income would be about £0.75m.
Mr Gawne said agriculture was used to having peaks and troughs, with good years, bad years and even very bad years. He said the recent weather had been ‘catastrophic’, saying: ‘It’s on that basis it is reasonable to expect the government to step in, in some way.
‘But it is not reasonable for government to provide all of the support that will be required.’
He added: ‘Some of the hit is going to have to be borne by the farmers.’
Mr Gawne said he wanted to do his best for the industry, and reassured farmers he would come up with ‘as good and reasonable package’ as he could.
Meanwhile, residents are continuing to show their support for the Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Trust.
An auction and raffle held at the Highwayman, in Peel, on Friday, raised more than £7,200.
Manx artist Julia Ashby-Smyth has sold 250 ‘Words of Woolliness’ cards, which come in 11 different designs. Eighty pence from each sale (£1 each) is being donated. They are available from Presence of Mann gift shop, in Laxey Woollen Mills, and Northern Lights Community Centre, Ramsey, or contact her through Facebook.
A pub quiz and raffle takes place tomorrow (Friday) at the Horse and Plough, in Isle of Man Business Park, from 7.30pm. Admission per team of six is £10. Call Margaret, 614803.
The ManxSPCA is donating the proceeds of ‘An Evening with Colin Gold and the Tornados’ at the Crescent Hotel, Douglas, on Saturday. Tickets cost £15. Contact mspcaoffice@manx.net or 480368.
Donate to the trust online by following the link on its Facebook page.
