The Whitehouse Consultancy, who provide secretariat services to The School and Nursery Milk Alliance (SNMA), have been successful in their campaign to secure continued funding for the School Milk Scheme in England for the academic year 2021/22.
There were fears that the scheme could be cut or scrapped, but the Government’s commitment means children can now continue to enjoy access to free healthy milk. Prior to the UK’s departure from the EU, all children aged 5 to 11 in UK schools were eligible to receive subsidised milk through the European School Milk Scheme. The European Union provided a subsidy of 2.4p per 1/3 pint, with an additional 1p top-up by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Government has now agreed to cover the EU’s subsidy up until the academic year 2021/22, until a new system has been devised.
TV presenter and GP, Dr Hilary Jones, who is the spokesperson for the SNMA, has welcomed the news, saying: “Milk is a healthy and delicious drink for growing children, and has been shown to help address issues such as child dental decay and obesity. It is great news that school pupils across England will continue to enjoy milk and its nutritional benefits as they learn to eat healthily and look after themselves.”
A letter from the Government confirming the continued funding of the scheme, can be found here.
Whitehouse will continue to support the SNMA to campaign for a future domestic replacement to the School Milk Scheme that gives all Key Stage 1 children access to a free portion of milk each day and continue subsidised milk for Key Stage 2 children. This will not only tackle child hunger and boost health and cognition, but it will also support the livelihood of many dairy farmers by providing a much-needed market that doubles up as a social good.