The Government is due to launch a new support fund to help English dairy farmers that could offer grants of up to £10,000 for those affected by the impact of Covid-19.
The new fund, being made available by Defra, will go live for application on 18th June to help farmers in England who have experienced losses of around 25 per cent in April and May, with funding being paid out from 6th July.
The dairy farming industry has experienced losses of around 25 per cent in the last two months as demand for milk from other sectors has declined due to the coronavirus restrictions in place.
To be eligible for the funding farmers will need to be able to demonstrate that they have suffered a reduction in the average price paid for their milk of 25 per cent or more in April 2020 when compared with February this year.
To ensure that claims can be processed rapidly and paid by the 6th July, eligible farmers will be able to submit applications directly to the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The payment will cover up to 70 per cent of farms losses and will be capped at £10,000 per farm.
Further details of the fund and application process will be released by the RPA shortly, but dairy farmers who think they will be eligible should prepare details of their production levels for February, April and May 2020 to evidence their claim.
