There are two eligibility requirements for the one-off payment:
- Annual cows’ milk production of up to 1 million litres in the April 2015 – April 2016 milk year.
- Still in milk production.
Funding comes from an £8.5million slice of the EU Exceptional Aid package, but this could increase dependant on the uptake of the other two schemes (ammonia reduction scheme and risk management training).
The RPA will not know the rate per litre until after the closing date, on 31 May, as it is dependent on the number of applicants. Payments will be capped at 500,000 litres of cows’ milk production and you must be registered on Rural Payments to get the money, which should hit farmers’ bank accounts by the end of July 2017.
How to apply
The application process is simple – the form can be found on the RPA website here. Farmers will need to submit proof of the volume of milk they produced in the last milk year (an annual milk cheque will suffice).
Email your completed application and proof to c21hbGxkYWlyeWZhcm1lcnNzY2hlbWVAcnBhLmdzaS5nb3YudWs=. It needs to have been received by midnight on 31 May.
If you do not have access to email, you can post to:
Small Dairy Farmers Scheme
Rural Payments Agency
Room 151
Lancaster House
Hampshire Court
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 7YH
You are responsible for the delivery of your application so we recommend that you use a tracked postal service that offers guaranteed delivery. Read more on the gov.uk website here.