Two stand-out blocks of grassland in Co Meath have made very strong prices when sold in online auctions in recent days, well exceeding their guide prices. A 22ac block holding on the edge of Batterstown village made over €43,000/ac when sold at auction earlier this month. The land was sold by Sherry Fitzgerald Royal.

The land is laid out in three fields and has over 200m of frontage on to the Trim to Dublin road. The guide price was €500,000 or €22,700/ac.

The 41.4ac at Phepotstown, Kilcock was sold for over €16,000/ac by Sherry Fitzgerld Brady O'Flaherty.

However, at auction the holding was bid up to €950,000. At that point it was withdrawn and, following negotiations, it was sold for a higher price.

Meanwhile, Sherry FitzGerald Brady O’Flaherty successfully auctioned a 41.4ac non-residential farm at Phepotstown, Kilcock, close to the border with Kildare. The sale price was just over €16,000/ac. The guide price was €12,000 per acre.

The land is laid out in one field, has over 600m of frontage on two public roads and has a modern cattle handling facility.

The holding was offered in three lots, each given a 15-minute bidding period. Eight bidders took part in the auction, with a mix of farming and business interests.

Lot 1 was 19.7ac with dual road frontage and the cattle handling facilities. It opened at €236,000 and with four active bidders was bid up to €306,000.

At this stage the auctioneers opened up the bidding on Lot 2 which was 21.7ac with frontage on one road. Two bidders brought the bidding to €265,000.

The bidding then opened on lot 3, the entire 41.4ac. It opened at €575,000 and was bid up to €640,000. After consultation with the landowner bidding resumed on lot 3. It was knocked down at €670,000. The buyer is a Co Meath business man. The sale was handled in association with Agricultural Property Consultant Sean Doyle.