The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the
Marine has announced the opening of the first tranche
in 2021 of the Organic Processing Investment Grant Scheme to help the
development of the organic sector so as to ensure a regular supply of high
quality organic produce to the market.
The objective of the Scheme is to facilitate the development of
the organic sector so as to ensure a regular supply of high quality organic
produce to the market.
The Scheme will aid organic processors who wish
to invest in developing facilities for the processing, preparation, grading,
packing and storage of organic products.
Funding Information
Aid will be available for off-farm projects and
processors can apply for grant-aid up to €700,000, which will increase the
overall ceiling for each organic processor by additional €200,000 over the
duration of the Scheme. The total funding for this scheme in 2021 has increased
by €500,000 and will amount to €1.2 million.
Financial Assistance Available
Financial assistance will be directed towards
projects which:
- improve the organic sector and
provide the producers of the basic product with an opportunity of
enhancing income
- help to guide production in
line with foreseeable market trends or encourage the development of new
outlets for agricultural products
- help to improve production,
handling and preparation of organic produce
- facilitate the adoption and
application of new technologies
- help to ensure the adoption of
"best practice" within the organic production/processing sector
- develop facilities for
preparation, grading, packing, storage, distribution, or the sale of
organic products as part of a wider organic operation
Eligibility Criteria
The Scheme is open to organic operators who:
- are licensed organic operators
registered with an approved organic certification body
- are currently registered with
the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
- own or have leasehold title to
the site on which it is proposed to carry out the development
- agree to provide relevant
bank/building society/credit union details to ensure that all payments
made by the Department are paid by electronic fund transfer
- provide a copy of Business Plan
Post Date - 01-Jun-2021