Want to apply for Agri-Food Investment Initiative?

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About the Agri-Food Investment Initiative programme

The Agri-Food Investment Initiative (AFII) aims to enhance the economic performance and competitiveness of Northern Ireland’s Agri-food sector through financial assistance for transformative capital investment in several key areas. These areas include:

  • Machinery and equipment
  • Buying or developing computer software
  • Buying patents, licences, copyrights and trademarks

It supports Northern Ireland food and drink processors from small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs*) to large Agri-food businesses that process Annex I products.

What are the benefits of the Agri-Food Investment Initiative?

The main aims of AFII are to:

  • Support enterprises to increase their efficiency and improve their productivity
  • Improve the competitiveness of Northern Ireland’s Agri-food sector
  • Support capacity building, growth, innovation and new product development

Small businesses* - The maximum aid intensity that can be granted is 35 per cent of the eligible investment costs. Minimum project size is £300,000.

Medium businesses* - The maximum aid intensity that can be granted is 25 per cent of the eligible investment costs. Minimum project size is £500,000.

Large businesses* - The maximum aid intensity is 20 per cent of the eligible investment costs, however, the aid intensity for any individual project will be limited to the minimum support required to implement the project, compared to the counterfactual scenario in the absence of aid. Minimum project size is £1,000,000.

* As per the EU definition, SMEs are businesses with a staff headcount of fewer than 250 people, and which have an annual turnover no more than €50 million or an annual balance sheet total no more than €43 million.

The maximum eligible costs per individual investment project under this scheme will be no more than €25 million. The maximum assistance available under this scheme will be around £5 million.

Who is eligible for the Agri-Food Investment Initiative?

AFII is open to all Invest NI clients and new clients* operating within one or more of the following food and drink processing sectors:

  • Meat processing (beef, sheep, pig and poultry)
  • Dairy, milk and milk products
  • Potatoes
  • Cereals/arable crops, fruit and vegetables
  • Bakery, snacks and convenience
  • Drinks and beverages
  • Animal feed
  • Cold stores (industrially de-rated only)

*Businesses which are not currently Invest NI clients must demonstrate that they meet Invest NI’s criteria to become a client and if they do so, they will then be on-boarded.

Due to State Aid restrictions, businesses involved in the following activities should contact their Invest NI Client Executive or foodenquiries@investni.com before completing an online eligibility check or applying:

  • Bakery (only applications from SMEs are eligible)
  • Drinks and beverages (only applications from SMEs are eligible)
  • Cold stores (only applications from SMEs are eligible)
  • Egg processing

Find out more in the Agri-Food Investment Initiative - Guidance Notes (PDF)

How to apply?

To find out if you can apply for the Agri-Food Investment Initiative, check your eligibility. 

Is your company an existing Invest Northern Ireland client based in Northern Ireland?
Is your company a large food or drink processing business?

The EU definition of a large enterprise is a Company with a staff headcount of 250 persons or more, or a company with an annual turnover exceeding €50m and balance sheet total exceeding €43m.
Is your company a food or drink processing SME?

The EU definition of an SME is available here.
Is your company engaged in the processing of Annex I to Annex I agricultural products?

Annex I is a list of products, by the chapter heading or sub-chapter headings of the Common Customs Tariff Nomenclature (EU Regulation No 1101/2014), referred to as Combined Nomenclature.Download Annex I to check your Project’s eligibility
Will your Project involve a capital investment in a rural area of Northern Ireland or will your Project be based in an urban area however realise rural benefits?

Invest Northern Ireland’s preferred definition of “Rural” under this scheme is settlements with populations below 5,000. To check your population statistics, please refer to the NISRA Area explorer Northern Ireland Census Data (nisra.gov.uk). If your project is based in an urban area, rural benefits may still be demonstrated through the supply chain. For example, raw materials secured from rural areas or employment secured from rural areas.
Is your company proposing to undertake a capital investment project in excess of £300,000 in eligible expenditure if you are a Small Company, £500,000 if you are Medium and £1,000,000 if you are Large, and not exceed €25m in eligible expenditure?
Does your company agree to comply with European Union legislation and national legislation with regards to environmental protection?

This will include and is not limited to obtaining planning approval and completion of an environmental impact assessment, if required.
Can your company provide at least 2 years full statutory accounts (confirming a turnover of at least £250,000) and/or recent management accounts if required?
Has your company experienced financial difficulty or been subject to insolvency procedures as at 31 December 2022?
Will your project seek funding towards one or more of the following costs:

  • Plant, machinery or equipment (excluding hire purchase financing)
  • Modifications to machinery and/or equipment
  • Minor internal building works (related to installation of machinery and equipment only)
  • Related fees (consultant, environment sustainability, feasibility etc.)
    • and
  • Computer software (including licences, copyrights and trademarks)
Will your project involve a capital investment which will contribute to net zero/sustainability and a reduction in carbon emissions?

e.g. a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprint, water usage, energy usage, waste.
Will your project involve a capital investment which will contribute to increased innovation within the business?

Meaning, will it create a ‘new to company’ product or process?
Will your project involve a capital investment which will increase productivity at a company level?
Will your project involve a capital investment that will use new digital technologies in the business?
Has your project already started?

Sorry, from your answers, your business does not meet the eligibility criteria for the Agri-Food Investment Initiative.

Search the Northern Ireland business support finder to find local publicly-funded and not-for-profit sources of assistance you may be eligible to apply for.

The Agri-food Investment Initiative is open to existing Invest NI customers and new customers in the food and drink processing sector.

Businesses which are not currently existing Invest NI Customers, will need demonstrate that they meet Invest NI criteria for support, prior to applying to the Agri-Food Investment Initiative.

You will need to meet certain criteria such as turnover, volume of sales outside of Northern Ireland and growth potential.

Read the criteria to become a customer with Invest Northern Ireland.

If you think that your business meets the criteria to become an Invest NI customer contact our business support team at enquiry@investni.com or call 0800 181 4422 to discuss further.

You may be eligible for the Agri-Food Investment Initiative.

Complete this form and your Invest Northern Ireland client executive will be in touch to discuss the next step.

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Further information

Submitting your claim

For information, advice and guidance on submitting a claim visit the submitting your claim page and download the claim pack.