Supply of farmland for sale increased in Sligo last year and prices fell. Twenty-three holdings meeting our criteria were placed on the market, up from 12 the year before. The area on offer totalled 721ac, up from 625ac.

Average price was €8,412/ac, down by 11% from the €9,478/ac of the year before. The drop was €1,066/ac.

Eighteen of the farms were under 40ac and these averaged €8,232/ac on sale. The other five were in the size range of 40ac to 99ac and they averaged €9,371ac.

As in recent years the dominant buyers were the business category, which includes business owners and part-time farmers with significant off-farm income, followed by suckler/beef farmers.

Private treaty is the favoured method of sale in Sligo. Twenty-one farms were offered by private treaty and just two by public auction.

DM Auctions were busy on the farmland front, with a number of holdings of up to 30ac on offer around Grange and Ballymoate. Scanlon Auctioneers had 57ac at Castlebaldwin while REA McCarrick went to the market with 94ac at Carrownargy.

Average: €8,412

% change on 2021: -11

Acres offered: 721

Total number of farms: 23

Price range: €3,704 to €12,692

Most active buyers: business

Weighted average: €8,442

Number of transactions: 19