Agricultural land values rise 5.3% in H1 2026 despite challenging market conditions

“Agricultural land values rise 5.3% in H1 2026 despite challenging market conditions”

Statement by Sherry FitzGerald Research

Wednesday, August 12th, 2026

Sherry FitzGerald, Ireland’s largest estate agent, reported today (Wednesday August 12th, 2026) that Irish agricultural land values remained resilient in the first half of 2026, with the 12-month rolling average weighted value[1] of all farmland rising by 5.3% to €13,528 per acre by the end of June.

This follows growth of 8.0% in 2025 and reflects continued strong competition for farmland, particularly for quality holdings in the right location.

Philip Guckian, Sales Director, Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, Farms and Estates, said: “The continued strength in agricultural land values is being driven as much by a shortage of supply as by underlying demand. Across the country, relatively few farms are being brought to the market, creating strong competition for quality holdings when they do become available.”

The Mid-East remained the most expensive region for farmland, with rolling average values of €16,896 per acre, compared to the West which saw the lowest average value at €9,758 per acre. The strongest regional growth was recorded in the Border and West regions, where values increased by 8.0% and 7.8% in H1 2026 respectively.

By land type, marginal grassland recorded the strongest growth, increasing by 6.7% in the first half of the year to €9,209 per acre, with particularly strong increases in the Border, West and Mid-East regions. Prime grassland values also continued to strengthen, surpassing prime arable land values in some regions. In H1 2026, prime grassland values grew by 5.5% bringing the weighted value to €15,370 per acre.

Prime arable land values rose by 4.3% during the first six months of the year, with the weighted value reaching €16,007 per acre. Values ranged from €11,775 per acre in the West to €19,000 per acre in the Mid-East. The strongest growth in prime arable values was recorded in the West region, at 8.0%, while the lowest was in the Midlands at 1.7%.

While agricultural land values continued to see strong growth in the first half of 2026, the market enters H2 2026 with a more cautious outlook. Higher input costs, reduced output prices, weather-related production pressures and the potential for higher borrowing costs are expected to influence farmer decision-making over the coming months. That said, constrained farmland supply is expected to sustain competition for well-located holdings that come to the market.

Further commenting, Philip Guckian stated: “Looking ahead, farmers will be keeping a close eye on the impact of recent weather conditions, with reduced rainfall and slower grass growth becoming a concern in some regions. While this may temper sentiment in the short term, the scarcity of land coming to the market is likely to remain the dominant factor supporting values.”

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For any further information, please contact:

Jill O’Neill                                                                          

PR Director                                                             

Sherry FitzGerald Group                                                

Ph: 01 2376 500 / 086 252 3277