Wales Reviews Future of 50-Year-Old School Milk Subsidy Scheme Amid Administrative Shift
The Welsh government has initiated a 10-week formal consultation to determine the future of its School Milk Subsidy Scheme (SMSS), which has provided daily milk to children aged four to 11 since 1977. This review is prompted by the UK government's Rural Payments Agency (RPA) decision to cease administering the scheme for devolved administrations starting April 2027. The Welsh government is considering two main options: establishing a new, devolved grant-funded delivery model or discontinuing the program entirely, relying instead on existing free breakfast clubs and universal primary free school meal provisions. Currently, the scheme offers free milk to full-time pupils in reception through year two and subsidized milk for pupils in years three to six. The potential discontinuation could impact approximately 80,000 schoolchildren.
