THE hardest-hit dairy farmers will get government grants of up to £10,000, it has been announced this weekend.

Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, announced funding for Welsh dairy farmers hardest hit by the recent exceptional market conditions as a result of Covid19.

The dairy sector has felt the immediate impact of the global pandemic with the closure of the food service and hospitality sectors.

Eligible dairy farmers who lose more than 25 per cent of their income in April and May will be entitled to up to £10,000, to cover 70 per cent of their lost income. This will help ensure they can continue to operate without impacting animal welfare and the environment.

The minister said: “The closure of the foodservice sector has had an immediate and significant impact on our dairy sector and market prices.

“The measures introduced so far will help provide some stability for the dairy sector, but I recognise there is a need to support those farms hardest hit by a situation which is primarily outside of their control.

“I am therefore pleased to confirm dairy farmers in Wales will be eligible for support helping them adapt to the exceptional market conditions and ensuring they can continue to operate without impacting animal welfare and the environment. Further details of the scheme will be announced shortly but I wanted to commit today to support this core group of dairy farmers with a payment to offset some of the financial impacts they have experienced."

NFU Cymru deputy president Aled Jones said Covid-19 is causing severe financial hardship to producers supplying processors who have been most impacted by the closure of cafes, restaurants, pubs and hospitality venues.

"We are pleased that Welsh Government has recognised the impact this is having on many dairy farming businesses and has now come forward with a hardship package for those impacted most by the current market conditions," he said.

"The package of support will help address some of the most immediate cash flow problems faced by dairy farmers, some of whom have been forced to dispose of milk because their processors have been unable to collect it and many more having received massive price cuts and significant delays to payments."

Andrew RT Davies MS, Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, said the support was ’better late than never’,

He said: “I and my Welsh Conservative colleagues have been demanding support for the dairy farmers throughout the pandemic and lockdown, and finally, after weeks of dithering and deafening silence, the Minister for Rural Affairs has taken some notice.

“It’s better late than never.

“However, the announcement today is lacking any real detail. Who, for example, will be an ‘eligible farmer’? This is the kind of detail needed to reassure or hardworking farmers, who manage one of the key industry sectors in Wales.

“This money needs to be made available immediately to make sure our vital agricultural sector suffers no more damage.”