Fully operational dairy farms do not come on the market often in Northern Ireland, especially with cows, followers and machinery also available to allow for a quick takeover by a successful buyer.

Clarehill farm in Ballywatt near Coleraine is situated close to the north Antrim coast and extends to 112 acres. The land, farmyard and five-bed farmhouse were launched by auctioneers JA McClelland and Sons last month for offers in the region of £1.2m (€1.4m).

The farm is situated on the main Ballymoney to Portrush road and is five miles from Coleraine, 5.5 miles from Ballymoney and six miles from Portrush. On a clear day, the headland of the Giant’s Causeway can be seen from the yard.

The majority of the land is in grass, with fields all well drained and fenced. Most fields have well-maintained hedgerows and the land is also suitable for arable farming. The grass swards appear to have been well managed, with reseeding carried out when required.

The 112 acres forms one block, with the farmyard centrally located and accessible through a series of concentrate and hardcore laneways throughout the farm.

The yard includes a six-unit double-up De Laval parlour and accommodation for around 100 cows and followers in fully slated cow cubicle houses and calf sheds. There is a mix of traditional and modern buildings, including a workshop, hay shed and machinery shed.

The parlour has been extended and upgraded several times since it was built in 1978. It includes automatic cluster removers that were installed in the early 2000s and a dari-kool 600G bulk tank in the dairy.

Other features of the yard include covered and open silos, a 210,000-gallon above-ground slurry store, a 20-tonne split meal bin and a bore hole water supply with mains available as a backup.

The farmhouse has five upstairs bedrooms, including an en suite master bedroom and a family bathroom. Downstairs there are two reception areas, a kitchen, utility room and access to a basement. The house has oil-fired central heating and has partial PVC double glazed windows.

The owner is also open to selling all livestock, machinery and Basic Payment entitlements by separate negotiation.

There are currently 85 Holstein Friesian cows calving all year round. Also available are Angus and Holstein bull and heifer calves, a Holstein bull and an Aberdeen Angus bull.

There is an extensive range of machinery on the farm, which was mostly bought as new in the 2000s. This includes a Massey Ferguson 4355, a Massey Ferguson 6290, a 2006 Manitou, two 10-tonne Kane silage trailers, a Claas Jaguar 860 silage harvester, a Claas Linear 880 rake, a Star 2000-gallon slurry tanker and a 21-foot livestock haulage trailer.

Basic Payment entitlements are currently trading for up to 1.5 times their face value in the open market in NI. However, this is for entitlements transferred before 2 May deadline for the 2017 scheme year. After this, there is to be two more scheme years under the current system of direct payments in the UK as Brexit is set to bring a new agricultural policy. CL