Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns has welcomed new hardship funding to bolster dairy farmers through COVID-19 having lobbied the Government for extra support for the industry.
England’s dairy farmers produce over 49 million of litres of milk every day but have seen decreased demand for their products as bars, restaurants and cafes have had to close.
A new hardship fund will provide support for the most in need farmers, and Eligible dairy farmers who have lost more than 25% of their income over April and May due to coronavirus disruptions will be eligible to access this funding of up to £10,000 each for those qualifying months, with no cap set on the number of farmers who can receive this support or on the total funding available.
While many farmers have already rerouted their milk supplies to retailers and supermarkets – which have seen increased demand in recent weeks , the Government has also backed the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s new campaign to increase the consumption of milk in UK households with £1 million funding.
Rutland and Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, said:
“Rutland and Melton’s dairy farmers play a huge role in feeding our nation and I have been working hard to ensure they are properly supported during this time, lobbying DEFRA daily to secure more support for them.
“I am so pleased the Government has responded to calls such as mine and provided such robust and deserved support to those dairy farmers most in need.”
Today’s announcement is the latest action from the Government to support dairy farmers, building on the unprecedented levels of support already announced by the Chancellor and our recent action to temporarily relax some elements of UK competition law to allow suppliers, retailers and logistics providers in the dairy industry to work more closely together on some of the challenges they are facing.
Alicia Kearns MP continues to work with local and national stakeholders to ensure farmers needs are met during the pandemic.
