Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir has called upon schools and parents to participate in a new survey on the School Milk Subsidy Scheme.
The surveys are aimed at helping the Department to understand the views of schools and parents towards the Scheme.
Minister Muir said:
“The School Milk Subsidy Scheme has been an important part of school life for many years offering a daily healthy boost for many children. Participation by schools and pupils in the School Milk Subsidy Scheme has been steadily declining in recent years and my department are keen to understand the rationale behind falling uptake.
“The surveys also seek to build a picture of attitudes towards increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables in schools.”
He added:
“As a keen supporter of the scheme I greatly value it’s contribution to school life here and encourage parents and schools to take part in the surveys and to make sure their voice is heard.”
The eight week surveys are now open until 10 January 2025 and can be found on NI Direct at the following links:
The responses submitted will help DAERA determine what steps if any need to be taken moving forward.
The surveys are part of the work that DAERA is taking forward under NI’s new Food Strategy Framework, which will be published shortly. One of the Framework’s priorities is aimed at enabling improved dietary related health outcomes through education and increased accessibility to healthy nutritious food.