The new €30,000 grant for restoring old farm buildings will open shortly, the Heritage Council has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.

The opening date will be confirmed once there is confirmation of the funding allocated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the 2023 scheme.

However the Heritage Council website sets out that the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant is expected to feature grants varying between €4,000 and €30,000.

For the first time, the grant scheme is expected to be open to farmers outside of GLAS.

The grant will be available for the conservation of traditional farm outbuildings, including roofs, walls, structural repairs, windows and doors. It will also be also available for other related farm structures including historic yard surfaces, walls, gate pillars and gates.

The process is highly competitive and it is expected that 70-80 projects will be supported in 2023. The Department of Agriculture makes all grant payments on this scheme following certification by the Heritage Council.