DR-12 AFIR: €169.59 million for young farmers, submission between 6 October and 2 December

On 29 September 2026, AFIR announced the first call window this year for the DR-12 intervention, dedicated to consolidating the farms of established young farmers and farmers aged up to 45. The call budget is 169,589,647 euro, and non-refundable support reaches a maximum of 200,000 euro per project. Applications are submitted online at www.afir.ro between 6 October 2026, 09:00, and 2 December 2026, 16:00.

The final DR-12 guide was published on 18 September. What is new is the launch announcement, which sets the budget by component, the scoring thresholds and the rules under which submission may be stopped.

In brief

• Programme: CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027, intervention DR-12 "Investments in the consolidation of holdings of established young farmers and farmers aged up to 45"
• Authority: Agency for the Financing of Rural Investments (AFIR)
• Beneficiaries: established farmers organised as PFA (sole trader), II, IF (family business) or SRL (unauthorised natural persons are not eligible)
• Total budget: 169,589,647 euro, i.e. 84,794,823.5 euro for the livestock sector and 84,794,823.5 euro for other sectors
• Value per project / intensity: maximum 200,000 euro; 80% for young farmers aged up to 40, 65% for other beneficiaries
• Submission period: 6 October 2026, 09:00 – 2 December 2026, 16:00
• Status: call window announced, submission opens on 6 October

Who can apply under DR-12?

According to the guide, the applicant must be a farmer and the head of the holding for which support is requested. They must fall into one of the following categories:

• established young farmers, aged 40 or under at submission (before turning 41);
• established farmers who completed their business plan under sub-measure 6.1 of the PNDR 2014–2022, including during the transition period, regardless of age;
• established farmers aged 45 or under at submission (before turning 46).

"Established farmer" means that you are registered in IACS-APIA. It does not matter how long you have been registered: registration can also be done in the year you submit your application. Newly established companies are also eligible. In the case of an SRL, the young farmer must be the sole shareholder and administrator. If the company has several shareholders, they must hold 50% plus one share and be the sole administrator.

At submission, the farm must have an economic size of at least 12,000 € SO. This is calculated using the SOC 2020 coefficients and includes all the holding's assets. Throughout the contract, the economic size may not fall by more than 15% and may not drop below 12,000 € SO.

How is the money allocated and what score do you need?

Each project falls under a single component: "livestock sector" or "other sectors" (crops). Classification is based on the use of more than 50% of the project's eligible value. Money left unspent in one component is moved to the other, if it has more applications than budget.

• Minimum selection threshold: 45 points, for both components.
• Quality threshold between 6 October and 5 November 2026: 80 points.
• Quality threshold between 6 November and 2 December 2026: 45 points.

Submission may be stopped before the deadline. Under OMADR no. 407/2023, the call window closes if the value of submitted projects reaches at least 150% of the component's allocation. The exception is the first 5 calendar days of each stage, when applications can be submitted regardless of this ceiling.

Which costs are eligible?

Tangible and intangible investments across the whole country are funded. The indicative list in the guide includes:

• new or modernised buildings, including greenhouses and polytunnels (only on a metal frame or metal-reinforced PVC; new polytunnels on a wooden frame are not eligible);
• establishing and converting fruit orchards;
• on-farm conditioning and storage units;
• agricultural machinery, trailers and equipment, including through financial leasing, matched to the size of the farm;
• on-farm processing, farm-gate sales, irrigation, access roads, renewable energy and hygiene and biosecurity facilities, all only as a secondary component of the project;
• digital solutions for precision agriculture.

The guide specifies that works carried out in-house are not reimbursed. Implementation may take no more than three years.

What must be submitted with the application?

In addition to the technical and economic documentation, at submission you undertake, through Declaration F, to secure the private co-financing. The actual proof, by bank statement or loan agreement, is checked only at contracting. If you use a bank statement, you accompany it with a commitment that at least 50% of the amount will go towards project payments. Economic viability is checked against the operating result in the previous year's balance sheet. The guide provides exceptions for newly established companies and for farms affected by disasters. You may have only one project per intervention. If you withdraw your application, you cannot submit another under DR-12 in the same call window.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: the 80-point quality threshold in the first month clearly separates two strategies. If your project scores 80 points or more, submit it in the first 5 days, when the call window cannot be stopped. If it scores between 45 and 79 points, you can only submit from 6 November, and the risk that the call window has already closed at 150% of the allocation is real.

Check in good time three things that often disqualify projects:

• all land and animals must be registered with APIA, ANSVSA or DSVSA under the legal form you are applying with;
• the SO calculation must match IACS;
• proof of co-financing must be ready before contracting.

Farmers aged up to 40 receive 80% of costs, compared with 65% for others. If you are close to turning 41, the submission date matters. You can quickly check whether you qualify with the eligibility check or on the DR-12 programme page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply under DR-12 as a natural person?

No. The DR-12 guide excludes natural persons. You can only apply as a PFA (sole trader), individual enterprise, family enterprise or SRL, and as a legal entity you must effectively control the holding.

What support intensity will I receive if I am 43?

If you are between 41 and 45, the maximum intensity is 65% of eligible costs. The 80% rate is granted only to young farmers aged up to and including 40 who have professional skills related to the project and are heads of the holding. The ceiling is 200,000 euro per project in both cases.

When can the call window close early?

When the value of projects submitted under a component reaches at least 150% of its allocation. The rule does not apply during the first 5 calendar days of each stage (from 6 October and from 6 November), when you can submit regardless.

Can I apply under DR-12 if I have already completed a project under sub-measure 6.1?

Yes. Farmers who completed their business plan under sub-measure 6.1 of the PNDR 2014–2022 are eligible regardless of age. However, the guide shows that beneficiaries of previous investments in the agricultural sector, for example under sub-measures 4.1 or 4.1a, do not receive the score for one of the selection criteria.

Official sources

• AFIR – DR-12 project submission call window (29 September 2026)
• AFIR – Launch announcement of the DR-12 call for proposals – 01/26
• AFIR – DR-12 details and annexes
• AFIR – DR-12 Applicant's Guide

Information checked on 1 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.