Hardship fund offers help to farms hit by dairy crisis (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Hardship fund offers help to farms hit by dairy crisis

2:30pm Friday 26th June 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

THE Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution emergency procedures have come into force to ensure that all requests for help from farming families facing financial hardship as a result of the collapse of Dairy Farmers of Britain cooperative are being processed without delay.

Since the announcement of the crisis that has hit some 1,800 dairy farmers, RABI has been working closely with the receivers, PriceWaterhouse Cooper, to ensure that all those affected are aware of the financial support that is available.

RABI chief executive Paul Burrows said: “We know from bitter experience how devastating the sudden loss of income can be, particularly for family dairy farms for whom cash flow is critical.

“Our emergency funding is to cover domestic expenses for farming families facing a financial crisis and by the end of last week, we had received initial calls for help from some 50 DfoB farmers.

“To date, we have provided £12,000 to assist six farming families but, with applications for support now being received daily, those figures are expected to escalate rapidly.”

Trish Pickford, head of welfare at RABI, has stressed the depth of the support available.

She said: “While our obvious concern is the immediate relief to those in need, we are very much aware that for many of those affected, survival may depend on a change in the direction of their business.

“Where this involves training or qualifications that the farmer, or members of the family, cannot afford, the RABI Gateway Project will be available as a possible source of financial assistance.”

Emphasizing the speed and confidentially of RABI support, she said: “In extreme cases in the past, we have been able to turn round applications for help within 24 hours and could do so in this instance should the need arise.

“I would also like to stress that all calls to the RABI helpline are treated in the strictest confidence. Information about helpline calls or beneficiaries is not disclosed to third parties without the written agreement of callers.”

The RABI emergency helpline number is 01865-727888 (office hours).

RABI is working in close cooperation with its partners in the Farming Help Group, Farm Crisis Network and The ARC-Addington Fund, to ensure that there is support available for all those in need in the farming community.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)