Rural Payments and Services

Dairy farmers can still apply for a share of £2.4 million EU funding to support them implement key on-farm management tools.

The funding, which is targeted towards the hardest hit dairy farmers, encourages the widespread uptake of milk recording and production profiling techniques, which provide dairy farmers with the information required to help make informed business decisions.

Commenting on the re-opening of the application window, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

“Our dairy sector suffered badly during the most recent period of market instability, which put severe downward pressure on gate prices."

"I am determined that we fully deploy all of the EU support to help our dairy farmers."

“I have therefore taken the decision to re-open the EU Adjustment Aid Scheme and would encourage everyone who has not yet applied to do so now and take advantage of this opportunity to utilise this vital support and submit an application before the window closes on Friday, 9th June.

“If any of this funding remains unclaimed by end of the application period, I will increase all the current payment rates to ensure our farmers receive the maximum level of support available.”

James Rankin, NFUS Milk Committee chair said

“I fully support this scheme and strongly encourage those who have not yet signed up to consider the benefits."

"It is widely accepted that supply management, up or down, is hugely important to the dairy sector and the more accurate and complete information we have the better."

"Regarding Milk Recording the benefits are far reaching on farm and just as significant beyond the farm, where the information on health, nutrition, milk quality, production trends, fertility, calving age and genetics have huge potential for the individual and the sector.”