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1. Member States may grant support for investments in irrigation in new and existing irrigated areas, provided that the conditions laid down in Article 73 and in this Article are fulfilled.

2. Investments in irrigation shall be supported only where the Member State concerned has sent to the Commission a river basin management plan as provided for in Directive 2000/60/EC for the entire area in which the investment is to take place, as well as for any other areas whose environment may be affected by the investment. The measures taking effect under the river basin management plan in accordance with Article 11 of that Directive and of relevance to the agricultural sector shall be specified in the relevant programme of measures.

3. Water metering enabling measurement of water use at the level of the supported investment shall be in place or shall be put in place as part of the investment.

4. Member States may grant support for an investment in an improvement to an existing irrigation installation or element of irrigation infrastructure only if:

(a) it is assessed ex ante as offering potential water savings reflecting the technical parameters of the existing installation or infrastructure;

(b) where the investment affects bodies of groundwater or surface water whose status has been identified as less than good in the relevant river basin management plan for reasons related to water quantity, an effective reduction in water use is achieved contributing to the achievement of good status of those water bodies, as laid down in Article 4(1) of Directive 2000/60/EC. Member States shall set percentages for potential water savings and effective reduction in water use as an eligibility condition in their CAP Strategic Plans in accordance with Article 111, point (d). Such water savings shall reflect the needs set out in the river basin management plans emanating from Directive 2000/60/EC listed in Annex XIII to this Regulation.

None of the conditions in this paragraph shall apply to an investment in an existing installation which affects only energy efficiency, to an investment in the creation of a reservoir, or to an investment in the use of reclaimed water which does not affect a body of groundwater or surface water.

5. Member States may grant support for investments in the use of reclaimed water as an alternative water supply only if the provision and use of such water is compliant with Regulation (EU) 2020/741 of the European Parliament and of the Council ().

6. Member States may grant support for an investment resulting in a net increase of the irrigated area affecting a given body of groundwater or surface water only if:

(a) the status of the water body has not been identified as less than good in the relevant river basin management plan for reasons related to water quantity; and (b) an environmental impact analysis shows that there will be no significant negative environmental impact from the investment; that environmental impact analysis shall be either carried out or approved by the competent authority and may also refer to groups of holdings.

7. Member States may grant support for an investment in the creation or expansion of a reservoir for the purpose of irrigation only if it does not lead to significant negative environmental impact.

8. Member States shall limit the support to one or more rates not exceeding:

(a) 80 % of the eligible costs for irrigation on-farm investments made under paragraph 4;

(b) 100 % of the eligible costs for investments in off-farm infrastructure in agriculture to be used for irrigation;

(c) 65 % of the eligible costs for other irrigation on-farm investments.