Treasury Minister Susie Pinel has announced that the members of the Jersey Milk Marketing Board co-operative, who own and supply Jersey Dairy, will receive £100,000 from her department in drought relief funding. The remaining aid is coming from Economic Development’s budget.
This will match £175,000 paid to members by the dairy to help them import an estimated £450,000 of hay and straw from the UK from the summer and over the winter. It came from increased sales of their ice cream in the UK during the hot weather.
Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham, who backed the industry’s request for matched funding from the States made in August, said he was pleased to be able to help the dairy sector when it faced such a critical challenge.
‘The States are always prepared to assist the vital sectors of our agricultural industry as we understand and appreciate its value to the Island, and we are always keen to offer assistance when we need to,’ he said.
Jersey Dairy chairman and farmer Andrew Le Gallais said the industry was grateful to Senator Farnham and Economic Development officers for supporting the bid for aid.
‘We were faced with a really exceptional and serious situation and this was one of those occasions when government and farmers came together. We worked on a thorough and detailed application which went through due process and this money is going to make a big difference to our business.
‘Our farmers will be able to get through the winter and it will give them the confidence to know that they will have the feed to bring their milk up to the quality required by Jersey Dairy.’
The Island’s herds are now largely indoors for the winter. Mr Le Gallais said the unseasonably mild weather of the past six weeks had been a boost for the industry as grass had continued to grow and animals had been able to stay outside longer to
graze.
Farmers have also been able to reseed pasture land and plant fodder crops ready for next year.
