The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar; agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue; and Minister of State, Martin Heydon, have today (Friday, August 26) launched the second call for applications under the government’s €100 million scheme for the agri-food sector.
The scheme, introduced by government at the end of 2020, has been established in recognition of the sector’s unique exposure to the impact of Brexit and other global trading challenges.
Up to €30 million is available under this second call, which is being administered by Enterprise Ireland.
It is open to large, medium and small enterprises, engaged in the processing and marketing of primary meat and dairy products.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “Irish companies, including companies in the agri-food sector, prepared remarkably well for Brexit and as a result of their resilience, we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario we once feared.
“However, we do not take that hard work for granted. Such a fundamental change in our trading relationship with our largest export market has had really significant consequences and the government has been, and will continue to be, on hand to help the more than 173,000 people that work in the agri-food sector to adapt, diversify and innovate in a sustainable way.
“The first call under this scheme saw 22 projects approved for €70 million funding. This investment went into businesses across the country, to develop new products for new customers and new markets.
“From helping Slaney Foods in Wexford increase the capacity of its frozen food offering so it could send its product further afield, to supporting Glanbia to diversify away from cheddar to other cheeses such as Gouda, more suited to Chinese and Japanese markets, this funding has made a real difference,” the Tánaiste added.
Varadkar said that he hopes today’s call for applications to the scheme will be a further boost to Irish agri-food business, and will help them continue to compete and win in international markets creating further jobs across the country.
Agri-food
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said that the €100 million fund is about future-proofing Ireland’s world-class agri-food industry.
“The government is assisting companies to make the capital investment now that will pay dividends in the years ahead and allow them to develop new products and enter new markets,” the minister stated.
“The agri-food sector internationally is changing rapidly, with an enhanced consumer demand for sustainable production.
“The scheme will enable food-processing companies become more operationally resilient through the pursuit of product/market diversification strategies which complement the ambition set out in Food Vision 2030, Ireland’s 10-year plan for the agri-food sector.”
The agriculture minister has said that a more competitive meat and dairy processing sector will help to support the economic, environmental and social sustainability of farmers as primary producers.
CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo Clancy added: “This important fund is already accelerating transformational investments by companies in the agri-food sector, with approvals for 22 projects made to date.
“This is a particularly challenging time for the sector and ensuring companies have the capability to invest now for the future is important to ensure that world-renowned Irish food products continue to be highly valued in export markets and produced in a sustainable way.”
A webinar for prospective applicants hosted by Enterprise Ireland will be held on Monday, September 5, 2022 and all documentation will be available on Enterprise Ireland’s website.
Funding available
Eligible companies are invited to submit applications from Monday, September 12, until the closing date on Friday, November 11, at 5:30p.m.
Successful projects will be focused on the production of new and/or improved higher-value-added products, and/or production processes, required for new markets, and not principally focused on the processing of increased volumes of raw materials.
Eligible projects must have total eligible capital expenditure of at least €1 million, up to a maximum of €25 million. The maximum aid intensity will be up to 30% of the eligible investment costs, up to a maximum direct grant of €5 million per project.