An “exceptional piece of ground” in north Kerry sold for over €1.1 million at an auction held yesterday (Wednesday, April 6).
The 55.5ac holding, located at Sackville, Ardfert, was described as being suitable for all agricultural enterprises; part of the land was recently set with market vegetables.
The land was offered for sale with a six-bay slatted unit, eight-unit milking parlour and haybarn with double lean-to.
The free-draining lands, contained in one lot, benefit from extensive road frontage at the edge of Ardfert village, which is 8km from Tralee.
Auctioneer Ger Carmody who handled the sale told Agriland that the holding was one of the finest parcels of ground to come to the market in the recent past.
There were four interested parties in attendance for the auction at The Grand Hotel in Tralee yesterday afternoon. The bidding opened with a price of €700,000.
Three bidders placed a total of 21 bids for the land and when the hammer fell the sale price was €1.16 million, which equates to just over €21,000/ac.
Ger Carmody said that he would not have been surprised if the closing bid had been higher for the land, but added that it had achieved a “phenomenal price”.
It is understood that the winner bidder is a local farmer.
In other property related news, a new report by Eurostat has revealed that Ireland had the fourth highest average arable land price in the EU last year at €25,724/ha.
The data also showed that Ireland has the fifth highest average land rental price figure in the EU at just over €300/ha.