Speaking to the Guild of Agricultural Journalists last Friday, Neal Morrison, commercial director at Savills Ireland, confirmed that land values are expected to remain firm in 2026.

This follows a strong market in 2025 when almost all properties marketed saw very competitive bidding and a quarter of the properties sold closed at above their guide price.

In 2025, there was a reduction in the number of properties coming to market, particularly those exceeding 200 acres. This scarcity of commercially viable farms has intensified competition and produced premium prices.

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A growing number of sales exceeded £20,000 an acre in NI and €20,000 in the Republic.

Cash

Larger farms in particular attracted strong interest from investors with cash, who often out-competed farmers. In fact, Neal Morrison reported that a remarkably high 93% of sales were fully funded by cash.

Smaller farms were very much in demand from farmers, especially those trying to cope with the pressures brought about by the legislation from the Nitrates Directive.

2026

The prospect for 2026 is for a firm market. Demand will be strong, boosted by the continued entry of non-farming capital, driven by land being regarded as a secure asset. Demand increases when many buyers are looking for more space and a rural lifestyle.

Many farmers are also looking to expand their operations.

In some cases, demand can be boosted where there is a good set of modern outbuildings.

In others, the existence of slurry storage facilities has attracted interest from farmers in the locality who are at the limits of storage in their own yard.

Or poultry sheds with some years of life remaining can be in demand where planning permission arrangements for new sheds has been halted.

Scotland

Since the early 1970s there has been a movement of farmers from NI to Scotland to access bigger farms in convenient locations and remove the chore of renting expensive conacre land here.

James Butler, the head of rural agency at Savills, said that at one time, the sale of one acre of land in NI would have financed the purchase of three acres in Scotland.

However, the trend has slowed and in more recent years one acre will now buy only two acres in Scotland.

Notable sales

Notable sales reported by Savills include Elmfield Castle, Gilford, Co Armagh, with 90 acres guided at £3.35m; the Eglinton Estate, Co Derry, with 1,075 acres guided at £9m; a farm at Ballymoney, Co Donegal, with 157 acres guided at €2.75m; the Birdstown Estate in Co Donegal, with 258 acres guided at €2.95m; and the Brownstown Estate in Co Meath, with 546 acres and guided at €9m.