Back in May, the Government announced a fund to assist dairy farmers who suffered a loss due to the coronavirus outbreak. The fund is now open for applications and below is a link to the handbook and application form.
To qualify for the grant farmers must:
- produce cows’ milk to a wholesale purchaser;
- farm land where the majority of the land is in England;
- have suffered a reduction in the price paid for milk by at least 25% in April 2020 compared with February 2020; and
- prove that the reduction in price was on account of the coronavirus outbreak.
The grant is only for farmers milking cows, not any other animal.
If for a valid reason, for example spring black calving, you did not produce milk in February, you are still able to apply if you believe you have received a 25% price drop. You are also able to apply if you have changed your purchaser since February 2020.
You cannot claim a Dairy Response Fund grant if you have already claimed a Local Authority Discretionary grant, though you can if you claimed the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant.
The grant qualifies as state aid and falls into the COVID-19 temporary framework measures in the UK. For more details on the temporary measures, click here.
The closing date for applications is 15 August, so if you think you may qualify you must act quickly. For more information and to download the application form, click here.