The average price paid for land in a NI county has passed the £20,000/ac mark for the first time. In 2024, farmland averaged £20,174/ac in Armagh. It represents the biggest price jump in NI, with the average rising by 14.6%, or £2,573/ac, year-on-year.

The new figures mean Armagh remains the most expensive county in NI to buy land in and ranks second across the island of Ireland – with Dublin in the top spot.

The sharp rise in prices occurred even though the supply of land for sale within the Orchard County rose significantly last year. Our records show that 1,513ac were publicly advertised for sale during 2024, which is almost double the total for the year previous.

That said, when taken as a proportion of its overall grassland and arable area, the figures show that still only 0.67% of the agricultural area in Armagh was available last year.

There were 72 parcels of land publicly offered up in the county during 2024. This makes the average lot size 21ac and is similar to the 2023 average lot size of 20 acres.

Our records show that 28% of agricultural properties on the market in Armagh last year either had a dwelling house or planning permission.

The top price recorded in our survey was £28,000/ac for a 10ac parcel of top-quality farmland in the middle of the county. The lowest price recorded in our Armagh survey was £10,000/ac. This was paid for a 7ac field, as well as a separate 25ac block a few months later.

A breakdown of transactions confirms that the market moved up a gear in Armagh last year. We found that 48% of sales were over £20,000/ac and 24% fell within the £15,000-£20,000/ac bracket. A fifth of transactions made between £10,001-£15,000/ac and just 8% were under £10,000/ac.

Vital statistics

Average*: £11,237/ac (€13,273/ac)

Price range*: £6,580/ac to £19,300/ac

Total area offered: 1,829ac

Number of farms offered: 62

Average size: 30ac

Biggest farm offered: 243ac

*Number of transactions: 2