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Almost 4,700 acres of land owned by DAERA’s Forest Service was let to NI farmers last month. The public auction in the Glenavon Hotel in Cookstown was conducted by the Ballyclare-based auctioneers J.A. McClelland and Sons.
A DAERA spokesperson said that the average price paid across 1,900ha was £83/ha, which equates to £34/ac.
“The majority of the areas are peat or heathland which are not suitable for afforestation. These are let for grazing to contribute to biodiversity benefits,” the department spokesperson said.
Lots were let for five years if there were no plans to plant the land during that timeframe. The spokesperson said that income generated from land letting is used to offset costs incurred by the Forest Service in managing publicly owned forests in NI.
The latest accounts for the Forest Service show that it made an operating surplus of £10.2m in 2018-2019. Income from timber sales stood at £8.7m and rental income amounted to £449,000.
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