Written by John Swire
English dairy farmers who suffered significant milk price cuts in April because of COVID-19 disruptions and have yet to submit their claim to the Government’s Dairy Response Fund have now got until 11 September to apply.
The Government has extended the deadline by almost a month after it was due to close this week (14 August).
The news comes after figures released by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) revealed only 55 farmers in England have received any money as part of the scheme with only 174 farmers applying up to 27 July. Only 35 English farmers have received the maximum support of £10,000.
The criteria for the scheme remain the same with qualifying farmers having to demonstrate a reduction in the average price paid for their milk of 25% or more in April 2020 when compared with February 2020.
Successful applicants will be entitled to up to £10,000 each to cover 70% of their losses across April and May incurred as a result of a drop in price.
A Government spokesperson said: “We understand this is a busy time for dairy farmers and many only recently received their May milk cheques. As such the deadline for applications has been extended from 14 August 2020 to 11 September 2020 to provide farmers more time to apply.”
RABDF chairman Peter Alvis said: “Summer is typically a busy time for dairy farmers, so we are delighted the Government has taken the decision to extend the deadline.
“We know the criteria for the scheme is quite rigid but if you think you have a chance of claiming now is the time to do it, so don’t miss out.”
Further details of the application process and guidance are available at gov.uk/government/publications/dairy-response-fund-2020
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