Following on from the call for free school meals to be continued over the summer period, Rosemary Barton, Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA and member of the Assembly’s Agricultural, Environment & Rural Affairs Committee, has called for the reintroduction of free school milk.
Mrs Barton said:
"Given the concern that was raised recently in the Assembly about the continued need for free school meals I believe the time is now right for the reintroduction of Free Milk for all young people in our schools.
"Many schools in recent years have introduced breakfast clubs in an effort to encourage a healthy start to the school day for their pupils. I believe this could be further enhanced if free school milk was made available for each pupil to take at break or lunch time.
"Milk is an excellent food for growth and development. There would be immediate nutritional benefits for our young people, and this would lead to improved health thus encouraging them to continue with this diet into adulthood.
"Given that milk is a locally produced product, it can only be a win win situation for all, including the producer, who would have a ready market for produce locally.”