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)

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, 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 £300,000. Medium businesses* - The maximum aid intensity that can be granted is 25 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 £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. Flat rates of grant assistance do not apply. AFII is a competitive process and grant rates are negotiable. 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.