A unique opportunity to take over a free-range egg-producing business close to a major population base in the east of the country has just presented itself on the market.

Hazelbeech Farm, Ballymakenny, Drogheda, Co Louth, is listed with Fee & Associates Auctioneers and consists of 34ac, along with accommodation for 10,000 laying hens.

There are also egg packers and associated production machinery, along with a number of vending machines.

There is accommodation in the form of two modern poultry houses, which are capable of housing 5,000 birds each and they are presented in excellent condition.

Centrally located on the property, they’re 200m apart and access from the road is via a grave laneway, which also connects the two houses.

There is a second access point in the form of a right of way off the Ballymakenny Road and the farm has 350m of road frontage.

There are two modern hen houses included. Both are capable of accommodating 5,000 hens.

Both houses have a 10-tonne meal bin each and they are surrounded by paddocks, which are fenced for hens. Securely fenced throughout, each paddock consists of top-quality permanent pasture.

The land has 350m of road frontage and two access points, one of which is a right of way.

One of the houses has solar panels installed and there are ventilation systems in each house, along with nest boxes, a chain-feeding system and nipple drinkers. Water is provided via a deep-well supply.

This is a farm-to-fork operation and there are egg-packing facilities included in the sale, as well as five vending machines, allowing direct interaction with customers.

Two of these are located on the farm, with the other three situated in Drogheda and Dunleer.

Also included in the sale are an egg packing machine and five egg vending machines.

Properties such as this are extremely rare and the location of this one is a major asset. It’s less than 10 minutes’ drive from Drogheda, one of the largest centres of population in the country, and it’s only 5km from access to the M1 motorway.

Dunleer and Clogherhead are 10km away, while another population hotspot, Dundalk, is 30km from this farm heading north, while Dublin is 40km away.

Each house has its own 10-tonne meal bin and there are solar panels on one of the houses.

For sale by private treaty, this non-residential holding is being sold as a going concern, as the owners are retiring from the business.

Auctioneer Raymond Fee is guiding this property in the region of €1.2m. Noting that there were no BISS entitlements included, he reported that there has been good interest so far.

“It’s a unique opportunity with a ready-to-go package in a serious location, as Drogheda has a huge population and it’s close by.”