The Irish Government has announced a €100m Brexit scheme for the agri-food sector.
The new capital investment initiative for the processing and marketing of agricultural products is managed by Enterprise Ireland.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: "We know that Ireland’s agri-food sector is particularly exposed to the negative impact of Brexit. More than 173,000 people work in the agri-food industry here.
"Not only do we want to protect those existing jobs as we weather the Brexit storm, but we also want to grow them. This funding is to allow businesses invest in new technology and new products, making the sector stronger and more resilient."
Julie Sinnamon, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, added: "The food sector is the largest sector of Irish enterprise and critical to regional employment and prosperity. This fund will allow the primary food processing sector to make the necessary capital expenditure to increase their global diversification in response to Brexit."
The fund is now open for applications.