Why Kildare's farmers are among the wealthiest in Ireland

County Kildare farmers are better off than the vast majority of their colleagues around the country - based on the value of their land.

The average price of an acre of farmland in Lilywhite country is almost €15,700.

And while this represents a drop of 5% on the year before, Kildare is the third most expensive place to buy agricultural land behind the perennially more expensive Dublin, which comes in at €20,000 an acre and Meath, where an acre will cost you €18,700.

Wexrford is fourth on the league table, just behind Kildare and followed by Laois.

According to the Agricultural Land Price Report 2021, the most authoritative compilation of land price trends, Kildare was one of just five counties where prices fell.

The cheapest place to buy land is Mayo where the average cost for an acre was €4,800 in 2021 followed by Leitrim (€6,100), Galway (€7,300 ) and Roscommon (almost €8,000).

The report, which is published by the Irish Farmers Journal, observes that the supply of farmland in Kildare is tightening and the number of farms and acres put up for sale fell - again - in 2021.

“The total area on offer was 1,394 acres, well down on the 2,045 acres of the year before  (and) there is no single obvious reason why this is happening,” according to the report.

Half of the holdings for sale were under 40 acres and only three came with residences.

A total of 30 farms were put up for sale, down from 38 the year before.

And while the average price fell by €800 an acre - this is still well above the national average.

The top price achieved in Kildare was nearly €29,800 an acre “for a holding in the centre of the county sold by private treaty, which attracted an equestrian buyer.”

At the other end of the scale the lowest price paid was just over €6,600 an acre for a “for a piece of wettish land in the north of the county, suited only for summer grazing.”

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The report also noted that Kildare is “a good county for auctions” since almost half of the 30 holdings sold went for auction.

Overall, according to the ALPR, there was a scarcity of land for sale in 2021 and the number of farms sold was 15% less than the year before.

It also noted that prices are high in Dublin, Kildare and Meath not because these areas boast the best land or the biggest farm incomes, but the big population around the capital “means there are more buyers and more demand.”