Food Waste Reduction Scheme

The Food Waste Reduction Scheme provides financial support to food businesses in rural areas to encourage projects which cut food waste. This scheme will help to reduce the 1 million tonnes of food waste Ireland produces each year.

The scheme is open to organisations and economic operators involved in food waste reduction on initiatives aimed at reducing food waste generated by primary producers and food businesses in rural areas. Proposals will be assessed through a competitive process.

In order to qualify businesses must:

• be situated in rural areas outside the administrative boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford

• be up and running and currently operating or have taken steps to be operational in 2024 in rural communities

• demonstrate the proposal is sufficiently advanced to allow final payment by the end of 2024 at the latest

• demonstrate the funding is for current expenditure and not for capital expenditure

• be financially sound

• show technical and professional ability to deliver the proposed initiative

Organisations must also be tax compliant and comply with all the conditions of the scheme. Applications are considered on a competitive basis against the other proposals received. Projects will be assessed on the following criteria:

• quality and technical merit of the proposed initiative

• quality and experience of the proposed team leading the initiative and engagement with stakeholders

• outputs, long-term outcomes and sustainability of initiative

• quality of arrangements for evaluation and ongoing monitoring of the initiative and for management of the relationship with the Contracting Authority

• scale of the initiative, expected costs and expected value for money

The maximum amount of funding available for 2024 is €165,000. There is no obligation to propose costs up to the maximum budget available of €165,000.

The minimum level of funding to be paid to any project is €55,000.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 12:00 (noon) on 22nd March 2024 . The application form below must be submitted to ridf@agriculture.gov.ie