Free school milk could end in Wales as ministers consult on the £3m scheme

Free milk for the youngest primary school pupils in Wales could end from April 2027 under one of two options in a Welsh Government consultation launched on Monday. The School Milk Subsidy Scheme gives free milk to children in Reception to Year 2 and subsidised milk to Years 3 to 6. It has run since 1977 and is administered for Welsh ministers by the Rural Payments Agency, which will stop providing the scheme in Wales after 31 March 2027.

The two options

The first option is a new Welsh school milk scheme from April 2027, paid as a grant through the Local Authority Education Grant. Councils would become the only route for claims, so schools and suppliers could no longer claim directly, and the consultation says participation would depend on each council accepting and running the grant. Claims would be capped at 250ml per pupil per day, and the 3p a serving administration payment for Reception to Year 2 would stay. The second option is to stop free school milk altogether. The consultation does not say which option ministers prefer.

The numbers

Welsh Government describes the scheme as a £3 million demand-led scheme. Its impact assessment says 81,374 pupils were receiving milk on census day in 2024 to 2025, about 30% of the 267,346 pupils eligible. Ending the scheme would let the government redirect about £3m a year to other education, health or anti-poverty priorities, the assessment says. It also cites the administrative difficulty of the current claims-based model as a reason for change.

Who would be affected

The children's rights impact assessment says children from low-income households are likely to benefit most from a continued scheme, and that if it ends, children from lower-income households may be more reliant on other school-based nutritional support. Whatever is decided, primary pupils can still get milk at breakfast clubs and at lunchtime through universal primary free school meals, and the separate Nursery Milk Scheme for pre-school children is not affected.

How to respond

Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language Anna Brychan said she wanted decisions "based on the fullest possible evidence". Schools, parents, pupils, and the farming and dairy sectors are invited to respond. The consultation closes on 4 January 2027 and can be answered on the Welsh Government website.