Swann urges free milk events in schools

Mr Swann is also North Antrim UUP Chairman and UUP Chief Whip and is a member of the Stormont Agriculture Committee. He is also a Past President of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster and a Past Chairman of the influential Rural Youth Europe organization.

Assemblyman Swann said: “I want to campaign for every primary school pupil between the ages of five and 11 to be entitled to up to 250 millilitres of European Union subsidised milk in schools every day.

“DARD needs to follow the example of events, such as the National School Milk Week in England and Wales. During that week, 200 primary schools in England and Wales receive free milk for a day to encourage pupils to take advantage of its free or subsidised availability.

“I urge DARD to extend this excellent idea to Northern Ireland and use schools in North Antrim as a pilot scheme. This would also help boost milk sales to a key target market, as well as help the constituency’s dairy farming sector.

“It is important that we encourage our constituency’s children to develop milk drinking habits early to combat potential problems like brittle bone disease in later life.

“Experts state that children who enjoy a carton of milk a day are receiving around 50 per cent of their recommended daily calcium intake as well as a number of essential vitamins that are crucial to their development.

“It is also vitally important that the constituents of North Antrim enjoy the same benefits as those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

“I am confident that a DARD pilot scheme in North Antrim’s primary schools would be popular with both pupils and parents alike. Eventually, I hope that the milk scheme could also be included in the secondary sector schools as well as the colleges of further and higher education.

“Nothing is more important than the health of our constituency’s children and students and there is no healthier food than milk,” said Assemblyman Swann.