The last month has seen an explosion of activity on the land market, as large quantities of land are being put up for sale.

This is particularly evident for larger holdings, with 26 individual farms over 100ac put on the market in the last month alone.

Trade has been more steady for medium-sized holdings in the 50-100ac bracket, with 32 on the market since the start of May.

A steady flow of properties has been coming to the market since April for medium-sized acreage across the country. A total of 102 smaller-sized holdings (10-50ac) were put up for sale since May.

There is no doubt the land market suffered this spring. Harsh weather and poor growth meant farmers across all sectors struggled.

The last month has seen land supply surge as vendors and auctioneers alike are anxious to offer the properties for sale.

Demand

Whether the buyers are there for these large farms remains to be seen. Of the 26 large holdings, 17 are being sold via private treaty and eight are being offered by public auction in late June/early July. It is therefore difficult to ascertain whether the demand is there for them at this early stage.

Demand for certain holdings is at the mercy of neighbouring farmers interested in buying.

So far, the demand for land varies depending on what auctioneer you speak with. The difficult spring has certainly curtailed farmers, both financially and mentally.

Whether this will affect the sale of land as the summer progresses remains to be seen.

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Irish Country Living property