Farmers Urged Not To Become Complacent As Land Prices Rise

Picture © Pat Flynn

Clare farmers are being urged not to get carried away with a surge in the price of agricultural land here.

Figures released by the Irish Farmers Journal show that prices in this county have jumped by almost 10 percent in a year to over €6,400 per acre.

But farmers are being reminded that prices have only risen because of a good year in certain sectors, as Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports:

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If you’re in the market for farm land, a typical acre in Clare will now set you back €6,423.

This marks a rise of around 10 percent on the average price of €5,800 a year ago, with the growth rate here significantly ahead of the national figure.

But while 2017 was a strong performing year, the report also puts Clare as one of the counties with the lowest prices nationwide.

Editor of the report Anthony Jordan says it’s been driven by a successful year in certain sectors of farming and whether it continues depends on commodity prices going forward.
The report is being hailed as good news for this county, though the significant rise is being put down to the fact that prices dropped in 2015 and 2016 so we started from a low base.

Now that the market has begun to correct itself again, Clare County Chair of the ICMSA Martin McMahon is urging farmers not to get carried away with the prices.

He says we shouldn’t be complacent as prices aren’t going to stay high.