Agricultural investment support

• You must be at least 18 and carry on or begin agriculture as a livelihood on a farm. Private-law entities and associations of agricultural entrepreneurs can also apply. If two or more people hold the farm, apply jointly: at least one third must be held by a person meeting the applicant conditions. For an entity, eligible persons must hold the majority of shares and control. For an agricultural association, all members must meet age and applicable skills requirements, and at least half the members’ farms must meet continuing-profitability conditions.
• Energy, environmental, sustainable-production, animal-welfare and biosecurity investments are exempt from the professional-skills requirement and do not require a business plan. Drainage and other construction projects still require plans prepared with sufficient professional expertise. For other categories, the published skills routes are a relevant secondary-level natural-resources qualification, or three years’ agricultural experience plus relevant training of 10 study weeks/15 credits. Three years’ experience alone suffices if the investment does not change the farm’s production direction.
• Own or lease the supported farm. A lease must be registered with the National Land Survey, transferable to a third party without consulting the landowner, and continue for at least ten years. Follow mandatory EU and national environmental, hygiene and animal-welfare rules. The €25,000 annual agricultural entrepreneurial-income target by the fifth calendar year applies to competitiveness and modernisation investments. This income is agricultural revenue after operating costs, depreciation and interest on debts.
• Applications are ranked rather than funded automatically. For the energy and environmental routes, the environmental-impact and climate-impact criteria together must score at least one point.

Status

Nabór ciągły

Warunki naboru

• Applications are continuous; selection periods end on 15 January, 15 March, 15 August and 15 October. Complete projects by 30 June 2029.

Apply electronically in Hyrrä. Applications are continuous; national selection periods run 16 October–15 January, 16 January–15 March, 16 March–15 August and 16 August–15 October. Northern Finland’s current administrator confirms continuous intake and ranking after each selection period. The Finnish Food Authority provides the national guidance; your regional economic development authority (elinvoimakeskus) decides the application.

For drainage beyond minor works, notify Lupa- ja valvontavirasto, the authority handling drainage notifications, before applying; it processes notifications within 60 days, and its response must accompany the application. Notification is unnecessary if the drainage plan has already been confirmed through an official drainage proceeding or by that agency.

Submit before starting work, ordering equipment, paying its first instalment or signing a binding purchase or construction contract. Starting early makes the measure ineligible. Building and drainage planning costs can qualify even when incurred before the application. After submitting, you can proceed at your own risk.

Complete the investment within two years of the decision and in all cases by 30 June 2029. Extensions may be granted twice for up to one year each: apply in Hyrrä before the decision expires, having started within the original period and with an acceptable reason. Contact the granting authority early about changes; where an amendment is required, submit it and obtain permission before implementing the change. When support is paid against evidence of completed work rather than actual costs, the approved project sections, costs and financing cannot be amended.

Claim payment in Hyrrä with the documents required by the decision. Payment follows incurred eligible costs or proof of completed work. Cost-based claims normally require costs you have paid and entered in your accounts. Equipment bought in instalments can also include the financed balance if the finance company has paid the seller, you are contractually obliged to repay it, the equipment has been delivered, and you can depreciate it and deduct VAT. Exclude VAT unless it remains your final cost and cannot be recovered. Used machines or equipment, tractors or small loaders, financing costs, permit fees and connection fees are among the excluded costs. At most five payment decisions are allowed; the final instalment must be at least 20% of support. Claim it within two months after the implementation period ends, once the investment is complete and matches the decision. Construction projects need the final building-inspection record.

A recipient with official websites or social-media channels must describe the project’s aims and results and acknowledge EU co-financing with the EU emblem until at least final payment; attach a screenshot to the payment claim. Personal social accounts are excluded. Public support above €50,000 requires an A4 sign or electronic display through implementation and final payment. Above €500,000 for physical assets or construction, a permanent sign must remain for at least five years after final payment or loan drawdown. Procurement must be openly tendered through Hilma when construction purchases reach €150,000 or goods/equipment reach €60,000 and the aid rate exceeds or may exceed 50%. Service or goods purchases above €209,000 require the EU-threshold procedures.

Artificial eligibility or materially false or incomplete information can stop payment and cause recovery. If more than 10% of claimed costs are rejected, eligible costs are reduced by twice the rejected amount. Missing required publicity can reduce the award by 1–5%; procurement failures and premature costs can also reduce payment. Reductions are not paid back in later instalments.