Defra has launched the third part of its EU Exceptional Aid package, a small dairy farmer scheme for farmers in England.
There are two eligibility requirements for the one-off payment: The farmer must still be in milk production and the annual cows’ milk production of must be less than 1 million litres in the April 2015 – April 2016 milk year.
Funding comes from an £8.5 million 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 Rural Payment Agency 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.
