Consultation on the implementation in England of the EU School Milk Scheme

Defra
Area 5B
9 Millbank
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Telephone: 020 7238 5203
Web: www.defra.gov.uk

 

18 November 2008

Dear Consultee

Consultation on the implementation in England of the EU School Milk Scheme

1. I write to invite your views on the implementation in England of the EU School Milk Scheme.

2. This consultation asks for views on the range of milk products offered under the Scheme, and the future of the national top-up. 

3. The following documents can be found at:

www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/schoolmilk/

  • This letter to consultees
  • List of consultees
  • Impact Assessment

4. Full details of the Scheme can be found in the Impact Assessment (IA) that accompanies this letter.  We have posed a number of questions in the IA.  These questions are also summarised in this letter.  In addition, because of gaps in the information we have, we have had to make a number of assumptions.  As these assumptions help inform our decisions about options, we would like your help to improve our evidence base before final decisions are made.

Background

5. There is currently an EU School Milk Scheme which pays a small subsidy (worth 3.76 pence per 250 ml serving) towards the provision of milk and certain milk products to pupils.  The European Commission state that the Scheme is intended to encourage children to consume milk and milk products and develop a lasting habit of doing so.

6. The rules for the Scheme changed during the Summer.  Previously, Member States were allowed to choose which type of schools to include in the Scheme.  Member States had to offer certain products, while they could chose whether or not to offer others.  England offered access to the Scheme to primary schools (children in Key Stages 1 and 2) and offered plain milk, flavoured milk and plain yogurt.

7. Member States were also allowed to pay a “national top-up”  to the EU subsidy.  In 2001, after the EU subsidy was cut, Ministers agreed to pay a small top-up (worth 0.7 pence per 189 ml serving) in order to keep the total subsidy at the same level.

8. Despite the subsidy, many parents have to pay something towards the milk.  Some Local Education Authorities do not charge, while the amount charged by others ranges from 13 pence to 20 pence per 189 ml.

9. This Scheme is not the only way of providing milk or milk products to children at school.  In fact, a higher percentage of schools provide milk without the EU subsidy and national top-up (a number of commercial schemes operate as well as school caterers providing milk and milk products).

New Rules

10. The EU rules changed with effect from 1 August 2008.  Member States are now required to offer access to the Scheme to all children.  Member States are free to choose which products to offer from the list below:

  • plain milk;
  • flavoured milk (with a 90% minimum milk content);
  • plain fermented milk products, such as yoghurt, buttermilk, and kephir (fermented milk products must contain 90% by weight of milk and a maximum 7% added sugar/sweeteners);
  • fermented milk products with fruit, or fruit juice (fermented milk products with fruit must contain 80% by weight of milk and a maximum 7% added sugar/sweeteners); and
  • a wide range of cheese.

11. Due to the tight timescale between publication of the Regulation and its coming into force, we decided to implement changes to the Scheme in two stages.  From the Autumn Term 2008, the Scheme was extended to secondary schools and the same range of products offered in primary schools were made available.  However, due to the constraints on the budget, no national top-up is currently being provided to secondary schools.  The second stage is to consult on the products offered and on what to do with the national top-up.

The consultation

12. As noted above, we have posed a number of questions and have asked for more information to improve our evidence base. 

Administration

13. There are a number of administrative burdens associated with participation in the Scheme.  We are looking for improved information on the burdens and whether they are a barrier to participation.  We also know that not all children participate in the Scheme.  Again, we are looking for more information on why they do not participate.

  • If you are a school or LEA participating in the Scheme, please give details on the time taken to complete forms, maintain records, deal with payments, and please provide details of any costs associated with participation?
  • If you are a school or LEA who do not participate, or a parent that chooses that their child  does not participate (if participation is an option), why not?
Products

14. With the inclusion of additional products in the Scheme, we have the opportunity to review the products we offer.  We do not have to offer every product.  We must consider the costs to the Exchequer in doing so, value for money for parents and the Government’s health and nutrition agendas.  We are looking for more information on what products to include in the Scheme and how we can offer them so they remain within the nutrient based standards.

  • Do you want the products offered to be changed?  If so to what?
  • Do you see any difficulties in fitting any additional or new products around the nutrient based standards?
  • When are products offered under the Scheme most likely to be consumed during the school day?
National top-up

15. The national top-up is funded jointly by Defra, the Department for Children Schools and Families and Department of Health.  The budget is £1.5 million, which we do not propose to increase.  The extension of the Scheme to cover secondary schools means uptake of the Scheme is likely to increase.  Therefore, we have to consider options for the national top-up.  These might include:

  • continue with the status quo and only offer the national top-up to primary schools on plain milk, flavoured milk and plain yoghurt;
  • alternatively, only offer it to secondary schools on plain milk, flavoured milk and plain yoghurt;
  • decrease the rate of the national top-up we pay to enable us to offer it to both primary and secondary schools;
  • only offer the national top-up on some products, but to both primary and secondary schools;
  • stop paying it as a national top-up for the subsidy and use it in a more cost effective way, for example, to promote milk consumption or as a grant for recycling packaging, (however, there are rules on State Aids which limit what we could use it for);
  • a levy on the dairy sector to increase the national top-up or the sector financing another contribution; and
  • stop paying it all together (Member States are not obliged to pay it).

 

  • Which of the options for the national top-up would you prefer and why?
  • Does the EU subsidy and national top-up influence your decision to participate in the Scheme?
  • Does your child have milk in addition to the subsidised milk provided at  school?
Assumptions

16. To develop our policy options we have had to make a number of assumptions as we had limited information to work with.  We are looking for more information so we will be able to refine our assumptions and overall costs.

  • Can you provide more information about numbers, costs or choices to assist us with our assumptions?
Responses

17. Comments should be received by 10 February 2009. They should be sent to: dairy.consultation@defra.gsi.gov.uk

or by post to the address at the top of this letter.

18. This consultation has been prepared in line with the government code of practice which is available from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. This can be viewed at:

http://bre.berr.gov.uk/regulation/consultation/code/

19. In line with Defra’s policy of openness, at the end of the consultation period copies of the responses we receive will be made publicly available through the Defra Information Resource Centre. The information they contain will also be published in a summary of responses.

20. If you do not consent to this, you must clearly request that your response be treated confidentially. Any confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system in email responses will not be treated as such a request. You should also be aware that there may be circumstances in which Defra will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations.

21. If you wish to obtain copies of the consultation responses, you should contact the Defra Information Resources Centre. Your request can be made in person, by telephone, or email:

Information Resources Centre
Lower Ground Floor
Ergon House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

Telephone:  020 7238 6575
Email: defra.library@defra.gsi.gov.uk  

22. Please note that wherever possible, personal callers should give the library at least 24 hour notice of their requirements. An administrative charge will be made to cover photocopying and postage costs.

23. If you have any comments or complaints about the consultation process used on this occasion, rather than the issue in the consultation paper, please address them to Defra’s Consultation Co-ordinator, Marjorie Addo, Area 7C Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR, or email at consultation.coordinator@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

Yours faithfully

 

Matthew Redrup
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Page published: 18 November 2008