Brexit school milk snatching threat

Plaid Cymru’s Simon Thomas has voiced his concerns that we could see the end of school milk for children after Brexit.

A briefing note by School and Nursery Milk Alliance has highlighted following the vote to leave the European Union school milk could cease.

The EU School, Fruit, Vegetables and Milk Scheme is a EU aid scheme administrated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on behalf of the Welsh Government through which children over the age of five receive a subsidised portion of milk.

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mid and West AM Simon Thomas said:

“We could see school milk snatched from our children’s hands because of a lack of milk subsidy after Brexit.

“At the moment Welsh children up to the age of seven have the option of having a free portion of milk every day in school which is subsidised by the European Union, while children over seven can access subsidised milk.

“There have been no guarantees on whether EU funding will be replaced after we leave the European Union.

“School and nursery milk support Welsh dairy Farmers and provides a consisent market for those suffering the impact of fluctuating milk prices.

“The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has committed to remaining in the milk scheme until leaving the European Union and want to develop a post-Brexit programme. A commitment from the Welsh Government to support post-Brexit school milk subsidies would help ensure the development of a new scheme.

“Plaid Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to take a stand and give a commitment that children in schools across Wales do not have their subsidised milk snatched from them after Brexit.”

Simon Thomas has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths.