This week the Irish Farmers Journal published its 2016 Land Price Report, detailing the total number of land sales in each county in 2016, as well as the average prices of the land offered for sale.

Here we profile the five counties which had the highest average prices for land offered for sale in 2016.

Louth

Co Louth has shot to the top of the 2016 Land Price Report, with an average price per ace of €12,463 last year. This was up 20% on 2015, when the average price was €10,429/acre.

The top-price property in 2016 was a €22,000/acre residential farm in the Kilkerly region.

A total of 33 farms and 1,398 acres went to market in Co Louth last year.

Dublin

A total of 918 acres were offered to the market in Co Dublin last year. The average price of land in Dublin fell by 11% to €12,171/acre from €13,736 in 2015.

The top-price property in Dublin in 2016 was a 54-acre plot which sold for €15,400/acre. This plot was at Lyons Road, Newcastle, and is understood to have been bought by UCD.

Kildare

Co Kildare fell from first place in 2015 to third in the 2016 Land Price Report. Average prices in Co Kildare were down almost €2,000/acre in 2016 compared with 2015. The average land price in Kildare last year was €11,925/acre.

The highest price per acre was a 53.2-acre block at Kilcullen which made €1m of €18,700/acre. A total of 71 farms were offered for sale in Kildare last year.

Wexford

A shortage of supply in Wexford saw the average price per acre rise in 2016.

Prices in 2016 rose 5% on the previous year to €11,729/acre. Supply fell from 3,037 acres for sale in 2015 to 1,946 acres last year.

A total of 41 farms were offered for sale last year and the highest price per acre was an 18.8-acre plot near Gorey which sold for €19,100/acre.

Meath

Renowned as one of the best farming counties in Ireland, Meath scrapes into the top five for 2016. The average price for land sold in 2016 was €11,465. This was based on 43 transactions.

In total 4,298 acres of land were offered for sale and the highest per acre price was for a 16.3-acre parcel in Drumree. This fetched €25,700/acre.