Guidance

Dairy Response Fund 2020

The Dairy Response Fund 2020 provides support to eligible dairy farmers in England who produce cows’ milk. They can apply for a one-off payment.

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This fund is now closed for applications. Please see our latest news for the most up to date information on schemes and funds.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

The application deadline for the Dairy Response Fund has been extended. We must receive applications by midnight on Friday 11 September 2020.

Since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the dairy industry has faced challenges of excess milk, falling prices, and reduced demand from the hospitality sector.

Defra has set up a fund to help those dairy farmers most in need in England overcome the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The new funding will help support dairy farmers who have seen decreased demand for their products as bars, restaurants and cafes have had to close.

The fund will be administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

What you need to do

Please read the Dairy Response Fund handbook above to see if you are eligible to apply. Only use the application form if you meet the eligibility requirements detailed in the handbook.

To use the eligibility calculator in the guidance, we recommend you use the latest version of Internet Explorer or Google Chrome as the calculator might not work in other browsers.

If you are eligible to apply, complete a Dairy Response Fund 2020 application form and email it to dairyresponse@rpa.gov.uk.

Published 18 June 2020
Last updated 11 August 2020 + show all updates
  1. Page and guidance updated to reflect the new deadline for applications of 11 September 2020. Guidance also updated at section 4 to clarify how to apply for businesses which have more than one milk contract, and for businesses where the purchaser has applied a deduction to the milk price.

  2. Minor additions at sections 2, 4, 7 and 8 of the handbook to clarify the application process and who qualifies for the scheme.

  3. Sentence added to "What you need to do" section to mention that the eligibility calculator might not work in all web browsers.

  4. First published.