A Co Laois dairy farmer paid €420/ac for a 156ac grazing farm near Stradbally. The five-year rental price works out at €65,486 per year.

The property at Raheennahown near Stradbally attracted considerable dairy farmer interest in the area, according to Castlecomer auctioneer Joe Coogan.

He said the farm, which was auctioned on Friday 3 February, is located five miles Stradbally, seven miles from Athy, 12 miles from Portlaoise and 13 miles from both Carlow and Castlecomer.

Coogan described the farm, which is all in one block, as excellent-quality grazing ground.

Although much of the land has been in cereals over the years, it is now in grass, with most of the paddocks accessed from a farm roadway.

Buildings

The property, which was leased by public auction, was let without entitlements.

The farm buildings are dated and consist of two individual sheds with cubicles, a round-roof shed with lean-to and an old milking parlour, as well as a silage pit and concrete yard.

Coogan also let two other parcels of land on Friday, both of which were at Jenkinstown, five miles from Kilkenny city.

A 4ac field was leased by an adjoining dairy farmer for €620/ac. A 12.5ac section was taken by a drystock farmer for €480/ac.

Dairy farmers are dominating the land leasing market of late. The heightened demand for land is being driven by changes to the nitrates action programme, which will cut stocking rates on most intensive units.