Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme

The Young Farmers’ Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) provides financial help to young farmers to upgrade their agricultural buildings and equipment. It helps them to meet the capital costs associated with the establishment of their enterprises.

It also improves efficiency, drives growth and creates environmental benefits.

The scheme is open to farmers who are aged over 18 and under 41 at the date of submitting the application, have set up for the first time within five years of an application under this scheme, own or have leasehold title to the site on which it is proposed to carry out the development, have a minimum of 5 hectares declared under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) or equivalent in the year of application or preceding year, or, for tillage related investments, have a minimum of 15 hectares of eligible crops or in the case of intensive enterprises, generate a minimum of 20 production units from farming, for Equine Investments only have and a minimum of 3 equines declared on the Equine Census or equivalent in the year preceding application and fulfill the requirement on occupational skill and competence.

If you are farming with others, you may still be eligible for the scheme.

Grant aid will only be paid on approved, completed and eligible expenditure and shall be paid at the rate of 60% up to the applicable maximum investment ceiling of €90,000 per holding.

In the case of an application by two or more eligible partners in a partnership registered on this department’s Register of Farm Partnership the maximum eligible investment ceiling shall be increased to €160,000.

Nutrient storage investments (Mass concrete tank, manure pit, circular slurry stores and geo membrane lined stores) and their related sub investments are paid at a rate of 60% with a separate dedicated investment ceiling of €90,000 per holding (€160,000 for partnerships) for these investments only.

Multiple applications per tranche are permissible. However, the minimum amount of investment which is eligible for approval under this Scheme is €2,000 per application.