Payments to dairy farmers ahead of schedule

EU support payments to help UK dairy farmers manage cash flow problems will start arriving in bank accounts from today – two weeks ahead of schedule, Farming Minister, George Eustice, has announced.

The first payments have been made to over 10,000 farmers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – three-quarters of all eligible farmers and amounting to almost £19.2 million. Payments will continue throughout November and December.

The Government secured £26.6 million in support from the EU in September – the third largest support package among Member States. UK ministers agreed to pay a flat rate linked to milk production, and for the Rural Payments Agency to pay out the money on behalf of the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England.

The flat rate for dairy farmers in England, Scotland and Wales is just under 0.176p per litre. In Northern Ireland it is just under 0.226p per litre in recognition that Northern Irish farmers have been suffering from some of the lowest prices across Europe.