How expensive is land in Kilkenny? New study tells all!

Kilkenny land prices ranged from €8,400 per acre of poor-quality land to €14,200 for good land, according to the results of a new survey by SCSI and Teagasc.

SCSI auctioneers and valuers are forecasting that the price of agricultural land nationally will increase by 8% on average this year, underpinned by a strong dairy sector.

In a major new survey, auctioneer, and valuer members of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), operating in the agricultural and rental markets say they expect national rental prices to increase at an even higher rate - an average of 14%.

They say prices will be driven by the constrained supply of land for rental and higher anticipated demand, particularly from the dairy sector due to new environmental regulations.

However, experts from Teagasc note that milk prices have fallen back somewhat this year.
National average non-residential farmland prices in 2022 ranged from €5,564 per acre for poor quality land – up 5% from €5,308 in 2021 – to €11,172 per acre for good quality land – up 2% from €10,962 the previous year.

The survey found that Kilkenny has the sixth most expensive land in Leinster with good quality land across different plot sizes fetching an average of €13,366 per acre.
Kildare has the most expensive land in the country with good quality land going for an average €15,056 an acre, followed by Meath where the average is €14,867.

The average price of good quality land on holdings of less than 50 acres in Kildare is €15,333 per acre, followed by Meath on €15,200 and Waterford on €15,000.
Tipperary on €14,938, Wexford on €14,857 and Carlow and Cork on €14,250 round off the top six places.

The average price of an acre of good land in Kilkenny is €14,200, up from €13,670 in 2021.
In Leinster prices for good land in 2022 on holdings of less than 50 acres range from Kildare’s high of €15,333 – which is similar to the previous year - to €11,500 in Offaly, while the prices for poor quality land range from a high of €9,417 in Louth to €6,000 in Longford. The average price per acre of poor land in Kilkenny is €8,400 up from €8,250 in the previous survey.

According to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland / Teagasc Agricultural Land Market Review and Outlook Report 2023, the Central Statistics Office data shows that the share of agricultural land, which transacts for sale annually is only around 0.5% and this is one of the main reasons for the strong agricultural land letting market which exists here.
The survey incorporated 134 auctioneers and valuers from all over the country.
The full report is available at www.scsi.ie