Early Dairy Payments Welcomed By MP

Tim Farron MP has welcomed today's news that EU dairy support payments will start arriving in farmer's bank accounts from today - two weeks ahead of schedule.

Over 10,000 farmers across the UK have already received first payments, amounting to a total of over £19 million. This represents three quarters of all eligible farmers, and will provide significant assistance in managing cash-flow problems. Payments will continue through November and December.

In September, the UK managed to secure £26.6 million of EU funding - the third largest support package of any member state - to provide a one-off support payment to dairy farmers.

The financial support is to designed to help farmers affected by the current global volatility in milk price, and will be administered by the Rural Payments Agency. The RPA will pay farmers based on a flat rate, linked to milk production. The flat rate for dairy farmers in England, Scotland and Wales is just under 0.176p per litre.

Tim said: "It has been a tough year for dairy farmers, who are trying to deal with low prices and an unstable international market.

These EU support payments are crucial for farmers facing difficult cash-flow problems, and I'm pleased that the RPA has started paying these early.

The UK managed to get one of the best deals of any EU member state, and it will be a welcome boost for local farmers."