Island must promote its produce more, farmer says

The Isle of Man has must do more to promote Manx produce amid challenges with supermarket space, the new vice-president of the Manx National Farmers' Union has said.

Kirree Kermode took over in the role from the now President Murray Cringle last October, making her the first female holder of the position.

She said it was a "huge privilege" to be nominated for the role, and she was "absolutely honoured to be asked by my fellow farmers to represent them".

The core challenges that the farming community were facing currently were routes to market and returns for the farming business and wider promotion of what the island has to offer could support that, she said.

She said farmers on the island were "really mindful of the global supply of food", which had made local produce look more expensive.

The union, which had petitioned the government to ensure more use of local produce and encourage its sale in supermarkets, had highlighted that Manx goods made up only 6% of shelf space.

Being in a small place, it was "difficult" to compete with some of the larger suppliers that go into the supermarkets, she said, adding: "For our smaller processors to get up to speed to compete with that it is tricky."

"There's going to be some huge bits of work around the future of the industry and what it looks like," she said, "but I think collectively we have to work together with others, whether it is government or organisations to get more shelf space in supermarkets."

"The population has grown, we have got to make sure we have got a healthy farming business on the island that we can produce food and potentially ramp it up if it is needed.

"You've got to make sure it is profitable, so collaborative work with government is critical to emphasise how important the agricultural sector is and playing a part in the food security landscape is absolutely critical."

Another priority was attracting younger people into the industry, she said, which meant "making sure it is an attractive job and work-life balance has got to be part of that".

Promoting farming at careers fairs, and taking into account the views of young people in modernising the industry was also an important part of ensuring the future of the industry, she said.

Reflecting on farming year, Ms Kermode said the weather in 2025 had allowed for a "generally good harvest, with plenty of winter stocks gathered".

"We are just hoping for a short winter," she added.

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