Ballamoar farm on the market to lease

Ballamoar farm is an extensive, fully equipped dairy enterprise sitting on 585 acres that is currently on the market to lease for a five-year term with the possibility of a further five years. However, there is one small catch: this farm is situated on the Isle of Man.

The farm is on the east coast of the island at an area known as Patrick, close to the town of Peel, and has good road access to the rest of the island, including the town of Douglas, where the creamery is situated.

The house

Ballamoar house is a substantial stone and rendered house with a slate roof. The house is approached via a long farm driveway that also leads to the farmyard. The house comprises four main bedrooms, a dining room, sitting room, extensive kitchen, farm office and two large bathrooms. The house is partially heated by oil-fired central heating and a wood burner. The house is surrounded by mature gardens and lawns.

The farm currently supplies the Isle of Man Creamery, which is a producer-owned co-operative, with the price paid to local farmers for milk currently at 31p/litre. The dairy unit of the farm is located close to the house and has been developed over a number of years with the capacity to house 200 cows.

The farm is equipped with parlour, fodder and grain storage, including a 162.5t grain tower, approx 293 cubicle spaces and storage capacity for 2,800 tonnes of silage.

The yard itself includes an extensive range of cattle housing units including a Dutch barn with lean-to and 85 cubicle spaces, a further double lean-to with 38 cubicle spaces on either side and automatic scrapers, a single span steel frame building containing 88 cubicle places with automatic scraper and a slatted unit with a further 44 cubicle spaces.

The milking parlour includes a 10/20 herringbone unit with adjoining collecting yard and feed hoppers, a milk tank with capacity for 10,000 litres and wash room. The land runs south from Ballamoar farm in well-fenced enclosures. Silage has been traditionally harvested on parts of the farm while other parts of the land are under cereal, with barley planted.

Located near to the farm is a small bungalow which has been used as accommodation for farm workers over the years.

Because of the scale of the farm, property management company Knight Frank is offering the farm for rent in three lots. Lot one comprises the house and gardens while lot two extends to the dairy unit and yards and circa 331 acres. The third lot is the grassland part of the farm and extends to the remaining 254 acres.

Anyone interested in making an offer by tender for the farm should contact Edward Dixon of Knight Frank.