News Release
Manx NFU President asks government to close public rights of way across farmsteads to protect our local food supply.
The Manx NFU is working with our members’ concerns over public rights of way through farm businesses in light of social distancing measures imposed as a result of COVID-19. To help our farmers the Manx NFU are doing everything we can to keep them safe whilst in voluntary isolation protecting our islands local food supply.
The Manx NFU have written to the DOI & DEFA Ministers asking them to place a temporary closure notice on public rights of way that pass through farm yards and farm businesses. We are asking members of the public to help the farmers achieve this voluntarily, if this can be achieved we will not need to stretch the already pushed resources of the departments any further.
Request for members of the public;
- Please do not walk the public rights of way that cross directly through farm yards, passing milking parlours, vegetable processing units, lambing sheds, calving sheds and in front of farm houses or farm buildings.
Wherever possible the farmers will offer an alternative route navigating around the farmstead, this route may take walkers through fields or direct you to turn around and follow the main roads. The Manx NFU are advising all of our farmers to keep farm gates closed and place sanitising points along with signs including a phone number to contact the farmstead. Farmers should insist that any essential tradesmen or deliveries announce themselves before entry and have a designated drop off point for deliveries to the farm.
At the Manx NFU we are really proud of our farmers and how they are coping whilst meeting the greatly increased demand for local produce. Let’s keep them safe at this time and together we can protect our islands local food supply.
Tim Johnston – President of the Manx National Farmers Union
26th March 2020
