Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme
The Young Farmers' Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS), part of TAMS 3, gives young farmers an increased level of grant support to upgrade agricultural buildings and equipment, helping them meet the capital costs of establishing their enterprise. Grant aid is paid at 60% of eligible costs up to a €90,000 investment ceiling per holding (€160,000 for registered farm partnerships).
- Grant range
- €1,200 - €96,000
- Funding level
- 60%
- Support type
- Grant
- Last checked
- 3 Sept 2026
About this scheme
YFCIS provides an increased level of TAMS 3 support to young farmers to help meet the capital costs of establishing or upgrading their enterprise, improving efficiency, driving growth and creating environmental benefits, and supporting generational renewal in Irish farming. Grant aid is paid at 60% of approved, completed and eligible expenditure, up to a maximum investment ceiling of €90,000 per holding; where two or more eligible partners in a registered Farm Partnership apply jointly, the ceiling rises to €160,000. A separate, dedicated rate and ceiling apply for nutrient storage investments. The minimum eligible investment per application is €2,000, and multiple applications per tranche are permitted. To qualify, an applicant must be aged over 18 and under 41, have set up as a farmer for the first time within the previous 5 years, own or hold leasehold title to the development site, meet an occupational skill and competence requirement, and meet the standard land thresholds; farmers who farm jointly with others may still be eligible. Applications are made online via agfood.ie and assessed against published selection criteria each tranche.
Who can apply
- Applicant must be aged over 18 and under 41 at the date of submitting the application
- Must have set up as a farmer for the first time within the five years prior to the application
- Must own, or have leasehold title to, the site on which the proposed development is to be carried out
- Must fulfil the scheme's occupational skill and competence requirement
- Must have a minimum of 5 hectares declared under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS), or equivalent, in the year of application or the preceding year
- For tillage-related investments: must instead have a minimum of 15 hectares of eligible crops
- For intensive enterprises: must generate a minimum of 20 production units from farming
- For Equine Investments only: must additionally have a minimum of 3 equines declared on the Equine Census (or equivalent) in the year preceding application
- Farmers who farm jointly with others may still be eligible for the scheme
- Dedicated nutrient storage investments (mass concrete tanks, manure pits, circular slurry stores, geo-membrane lined stores and related sub-investments): grant-aided at 60% with their own separate €90,000 (€160,000 partnership) investment ceiling
How to apply
- Register for the Department's online services at agfood.ie if not already registered.
- Submit the application online via agfood.ie, either yourself or through an authorised agent; multiple applications per tranche are allowed, each subject to the €2,000 minimum investment threshold.
- Applications received in a tranche are assessed and ranked against the scheme's published selection/marking criteria.
- On approval, complete the works within the timeframe specified in the approval letter, notifying the Department in advance of key construction stages where required for certain investments.
- Submit the payment claim online with all required supporting documentation (receipts/invoices, tax clearance, relevant quality certificates, etc.); grant aid is paid at 60% of the lowest of the reference cost, invoiced cost, or proposed cost, up to the relevant ceiling.