Aquaculture and Fisheries – Sustainability
Nationwide loan program of the Agricultural Rentenbank for aquaculture and fisheries enterprises to finance sustainable investments with up to 100% funding rate and a maximum loan amount of €10 million per year.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Promotion of investments to increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions, expand ecological aquaculture, and improve consumer protection in aquaculture and fisheries enterprises.
Eligible expenses
- Investments to reduce emissions and energy consumption
- Measures to improve water quality and wastewater treatment
- Energy-efficient modernization and combined heat and power
- Investments in ecological aquaculture facilities
- Measures to improve consumer protection
Non-eligible expenses
- Investments to increase fishing capacity
- Construction, purchase, or modernization of fishing vessels
- Investments in experimental fishing
- Costs of business transfer
- Costs for direct stocking measures (exceptions apply)
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Eligible to apply
- Companies
Funding requirements
- Companies in aquaculture and fisheries
- SMEs according to the EU definition or aid-free conditions for non-SMEs
Documents required for application
- Application via the house bank
- Aid declaration
- Cumulative aid declaration
- Program conditions (PDF)
- De minimis aid declaration
Evaluation criteria
- Contribution to energy efficiency
- Emission reductions
- Sustainability aspects
- Relevance to consumer protection
Description
Companies in aquaculture and fisheries in Germany can utilize the nationwide loan program of the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank to implement sustainable investments. With a credit framework of up to €10 million per year and a funding rate of 100%, projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and improving consumer protection are supported. The focus is particularly on measures such as wastewater treatment, energy modernization of existing facilities, combined heat and power generation, and the expansion of ecological aquaculture systems. Loan terms range from 36 to 600 months, with combinations with other public funds also permitted. SMEs in primary production as well as in the processing and marketing of fishery products benefit from especially favorable conditions, while non-SMEs can access aid-free financing options.
Applications are submitted easily through the applicant’s house bank, which reviews all required documents such as the aid declaration, cumulation declaration, and program conditions. Funding prerequisites include the EU definition of SMEs or the option for aid-free conditions for larger companies. Investments in fishing capacity, fishing vessels, experimental fisheries, or direct stocking measures (exceptions apply) are not funded. Projects are evaluated based on their contribution to energy efficiency, emission reductions, sustainability aspects, and relevance to consumer protection. The program runs until June 30, 2030, at the latest, with applications accepted continuously. This enables enterprises along the entire value chain of the fisheries sector to access low-interest loans to sustainably implement ecological and technical modernizations.