Irish farmers are investing more confidently in their businesses, thanks to a major update from Cultivate Credit Union.

This September, Cultivate raised its unsecured lending limit to €100,000, responding to growing demand for larger, more flexible finance options across the agricultural sector.

The announcement comes as Cultivate publishes its January-June 2025 Cultivate Review, which shows loan demand remains strong despite improved cashflow on beef farms driven by record beef prices earlier this year.

Cultivate is the Collaborative Finance credit union lending platform for farmers, an initiative that provides short to medium-term loan finance built specifically around the growing needs of Irish farmers.

Cultivate is a farmer-friendly finance option for farmers seeking unsecured funding up to €100,000 for up to 10 years and is now available in over 175 locations across Ireland.

Secured lending of up to €300,000 for up to 30 years is also available from participating credit unions.

Andrew and Aodhagon Smith, dairy farmers in Co Cavan, are among those who have benefited from Cultivate’s farmer-friendly finance.

With a growing herd and a direct-to-consumer milk vending enterprise, the Smiths used a Cultivate loan to improve herd genetics and expand their business.

Andrew explained: “We were trying to better the genetics of the herd. It was hard to do it just out of cash flow.

Their local credit union understood the realities of farming and offered a quick, personalised loan approval process.

“Without the Cultivate loan, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we wanted to do in changing the genetics of the herd," Andrew said.

Having gone through the full process of applying for and securing a Cultivate loan, Andrew reflects on a very positive experience.

He said: “The credit union were so easy to work with.

"Always at the end of the phone when needed and any problems are sorted there and then.”

As a farmer-friendly finance option, repayment schedules are available up to a period of 10 years, with flexibility to repay at times that make sense for the individual farmer.

Cultivate loans are unsecured, and there is no need to be an existing credit union member to avail of a loan.

Farmers can sign up in their local participating credit union office and be eligible to apply for a Cultivate loan immediately.

Cultivate loans are used by farmers like the Smiths for a wide range of investments including:

Stocking or working capital;
Upgrading farm buildings and handling facilities;
Purchasing new or second-hand machinery;
Supporting on-farm TAMS investments;
Undertaking farm improvement works.

Cultivate loans are available at over 175 credit union locations across Ireland. A full list of participating credit unions is available at www.Cultivate-CU.ie/#map

If you need quick loan approval and a flexible, farmer-friendly loan, FREEPHONE 1800 839 999, call into your participating local credit union or visit Cultivate-CU.ie to learn more.

Loans are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. If you do not meet the repayments on your loan, your account will go into arrears. This may affect your credit rating which may limit your ability to access credit in the future. The cost of your repayments may increase. Credit unions in Ireland are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.