The credit unions have increased their unsecured lending limit for farmers to €100,000, it has been confirmed. The loans are provided through Cultivate, the national farm finance brand, which is supported by the Irish League of Credit Unions.

“Cultivate continues to go from strength to strength, and we’re proud to see it now available in every county in Ireland,” said Therese Conway, CEO of Collaborative Finance, the organisation behind the Cultivate initiative.

“Demand remains exceptionally strong nationwide, and the success of the programme has enabled us to increase the unsecured lending limit from €75,000 to €100,000 to better support farmers’ needs,” she added.

Cultivate recently published analysis of its 2025 loan applications. The average loan application from farmers in all sectors was €39,021. April was the busiest month during the period for applications.

The most popular reason for applying for a Cultivate loan was for stocking and working capital (26%), equipment purchases (21%) and farm buildings (20%).

Meanwhile, the North West Credit Union, which is based primarily in Sligo, Leitrim and north Roscommon, has announced that it is joining Cultivate.

Carmel Mullaney, deputy CEO of North West Credit Union, said the credit union was “thrilled” to be joining Cultivate.

“We need to represent the interests and financial needs of everyone in the three counties, both urban and rural, and we believe that offering Cultivate loans is the correct step towards that representation and that it will have a very positive impact on our farming members,” Mullaney said.