Agri finance Ireland for agri-food companies

Start with what the money is for and when it comes back. Seasonal gaps usually suit working capital, bulk buying suits stock finance, and longer-term projects often go to a bank or the SBCI scheme. Through Welcome Finance, agri-food companies registered in Ireland (LTD, DAC, PLC or ULC) can apply, including start-ups, although most lenders look for some trading history. Lenders usually want filed accounts and recent business bank statements, and many also ask for a current tax clearance certificate.

Often, yes. A farm company that trades as a limited company can apply for working capital or a short-term loan through our panel, subject to the lender's checks. Lenders look at filed accounts, bank statements across a full farming year and how repayments will be met in quiet months. Read our page on agri working capital for more. Approval is never guaranteed.

Tractors and equipment are usually funded through hire purchase or leasing from an asset finance provider, and our plant and machinery finance page explains how that works. Tell us what your company needs and we will tell you whether a lender on our panel may consider it. Our panel may also help a contractor company with working capital for fuel, wages and parts in the busy season.

Possibly, but plan it before you buy. TAMS 3 grant aid is paid only after the work is complete and a payment claim is made, and the applicant must pay in full from its own account first. A short-term or working capital loan may bridge the gap. Never borrow against a grant you haven't been approved for. Tell us what your company needs and we'll tell you honestly whether our panel can help, or where to look instead.

Yes. The Department's 2026 TAMS 3 terms say an application may be accepted in the name of a company, made by its directors. The ceiling on eligible costs is €90,000 for individuals and companies and €160,000 for registered farm partnerships, plus separate €90,000 ceilings for solar and for slurry and nutrient storage. Each scheme has its own conditions, and under the young and women farmer schemes the qualifying farmer must be a company director. Check the current terms on gov.ie or with your adviser before applying.

Stock finance or trade finance may fund bulk purchases of produce, ingredients or packaging, with repayment timed for when the finished goods sell. Lenders look at how quickly stock turns, how long it keeps and who buys it, so short-life or highly perishable stock is harder to fund. Stock and trade finance are among the products our lender panel covers. Tell us your volumes and timing and we'll say honestly whether it can help.

Invoice finance is a common route: a funder advances part of each approved invoice and pays the balance, less fees, when your customer pays. If the pressure is paying your own suppliers or buying stock, trade or supplier-payment finance may fit better, and our panel may help with those.

Yes. The Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme is open to SMEs and small mid-caps as well as farmers, foresters and fishers. Loans run from €25,000 to €3 million over 7 to 10 years, and loans up to €500,000 may be available unsecured. In October 2026 the scheme was doubled to €1 billion and extended to 30 June 2029. You get an eligibility code from the SBCI, then apply directly to a participating lender. We do not arrange SBCI loans.

No. Sole traders and partnerships cannot apply through Welcome Finance; we work only with trading companies registered in Ireland (LTD, DAC, PLC or ULC). If you farm in your own name, talk to your bank, your Teagasc adviser, your Local Enterprise Office or Microfinance Ireland about the options open to you. SBCI-backed loans are also open to farmers, applied for directly with a participating lender.