Agricultural Investment Loans (AIK)

Agricultural Investment Loans (AIK) support agricultural and forestry enterprises throughout Austria in strengthening their competitiveness and achieving environmental as well as animal welfare objectives. Subsidies are granted as interest allowances on loans for investments in particularly animal-friendly barn constructions, modern milking and feeding technology, covered manure storage facilities, as well as irrigation and watering systems. Structural and technical measures in fruit, wine, and horticulture cultivation, as well as in alpine farming, are also included in the program. Subsidy rates amount to up to 50% of eligible investment costs, e.g., 40% for mountain and alpine projects, 35% for high-quality pigsties, and 30% in horticulture. Additional surcharges of 5 percentage points each are possible for young farmers, organic farms, and farms in particularly disadvantaged locations. The maximum subsidy amount is generally EUR 400,000 per enterprise (or EUR 600,000 for alpine communities) in the funding period 2023–2027.

Applications can be submitted year-round via the Digital Funding Platform of Agrarmarkt Austria (eAMA). Eligible are agricultural or forestry enterprises with at least 3 hectares of self-managed land, sufficient professional qualifications, and a positive assessment of economic viability. For investments exceeding EUR 150,000, a business plan is required. Interest subsidies are granted on agricultural investment loans with a term of 5 to 20 years; repayment begins no later than one year after disbursement. In addition to federal funds, the federal states contribute two-thirds of the national co-financing. Funding agents are the Chambers of Agriculture in Burgenland, Lower Austria, and Vienna; the state governments in Carinthia, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg; and in Styria, depending on the funding subject, either the governor or the Chamber of Agriculture. Further details on application procedures, funding requirements, and selection criteria can be found in the special guideline GAP Strategic Plan Austria 2023–2027.