It was a busy farmland market in Wexford, with more land for sale but prices down. Thirty-nine holdings were put up for sale, up from 29 in 2021. They totalled 1,754ac, well up from the 1,381ac of the previous year.

Average price turned out to be €14,299/ac, down from €15,233/ac. That was a fall of 6% or €934/ac. There were 20 farms under 40ac, and these averaged €14,462/ac on sale. There were 19 farms over 40ac in size, and these averaged €14,123/ac. Twenty-nine holdings sold in all.

Looking at who bought the land, dairy farmers and business people were the dominant purchasers, each buying one third of the holdings that sold. The balance was bought by cattle farmers and tillage farmers. The total value of land sold in the county last year was €18.6m.

As always, there were plenty of public auctions in Wexford. Quinn Property had a series of successful auctions, including 144ac outside Kilmuckridge at €1.6m, a holding of 81.07ac at Ballykilty Lower, Inch at €1.02m and 52ac at Ballygarrett, Gorey for €920,000.

Sherry Fitzgerald Radford auctioned a number of farms, including 67ac at Glasganny, Castlebridge for €1.33m and Hillburn House farm at Taghmon, in a number of lots. PN O’Gorman sold 26ac at Ballycullane for €335,000.

Average: €14,299

% change on 2021: -6

Acres offered: 1,754

Total number of farms: 39

Price range: €6,286 to €25,714

Most active buyers: dairy/business

Weighted average: €13,670

Number of transactions: 29