The average price of an acre of good land in Laois has reached €16,970, making it the ninth most expensive county in the country for farmers to buy.
That’s just one of the many published findings in the newly published Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) /Teagasc Agricultural Land Market Review and Outlook Report 2026. The thirteenth annual report on the state of the land property market is produced by the SCSI and the Agricultural Economic and Farm Surveys Department of Teagasc.
A statement launching the report said SCSI auctioneers and valuers are forecasting modest growth in land prices and rental rates for 2026 with both the price of agricultural land and rental values expected to increase by 4% on average this year.
At the provincial level, it says rental prices are expected to rise by 3% on average in both Leinster and Munster and by 5% in Connacht / Ulster.
Nevertheless, the market is found to be active and competitive market with prices underpinned by strong demand and a continued scarcity of available land.
However, while land prices are expected to continue on a steady upward trajectory, the outlook this year is notably more cautious than in recent years.
SCSI auctioneers and valuers say their caution reflects uncertainty over output prices, rising costs and broader economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
The report finds that disruptions to energy markets arising from the US / Israeli war with Iran have contributed to increases in fuel, fertiliser and other input prices across Europe with knock-on implications for agricultural production costs and farm profitability.
The report found that the average national price for good quality agricultural land in 2025 was €14,126, an increase of 7% on the previous year.
Meanwhile, the average national price for poor quality agricultural land was €6,963 per acre, an increase of 5% on the previous year. MORE BELOW PICTURE.
Prices in Laois, Leinster and around the country
The survey found that Wexford has the most expensive land in the country, with an average price of €19,226 per acre across the three main size holding categories.
This was just ahead of Kildare on €19,200. After Kilkenny, Tipperary, Carlow, Meath, Louth and Cork.
Laois has the ninth most expensive good quality land in the country, with an average price of €16,970 per acre. More figures for Laois are below.
Leitrim has the lowest average poor quality land prices at €3,772 per acre across the three holding sizes.
At a provincial level, Leinster has the highest average land prices with good quality land fetching €16,603 per acre, up 9%, while the average price for an acre of poor-quality land remained unchanged at €8,344.
In Munster, average prices remained stable, with an acre of good quality land fetching €15,404 an acre, while the average price for an acre of poor-quality land is €6,868.
While prices are lower on average in Connacht / Ulster, the region recorded the strongest annual growth rates. Good quality land averaged €10,372 per acre, representing a 17% increase, while poor quality land averaged €5,677 per acre, a 20% increase. Roscommon, Donegal and Monaghan were the counties which recorded the largest price increases.
Spotlight – Holdings less than 50 acres
On holdings less than 50 acres, Kildare had the most expensive land at €19,100 per acre, with Tipperary second on €18,779 and Meath in third place at €18,364, just ahead of Carlow on €18,300. In Wexford, the average price of good quality land on holdings of less than 50 acres is €18,260 per acre, while rounding off the top six places is Laois on €17,750. That is significantly higher than the €14,625 recorded in the previous survey.
Meanwhile, the price of an acre of poor-quality land on holdings of less than 50 acres in Laois is €8,166, which is up by a modest amount on 2024.
In Leinster, sales prices for good land in 2025 on holdings of less than 50 acres range from Kildare’s high of €19,100 – up from €18,680 the previous year – to €11,625 in Longford, while the prices for poor-quality land range from a high of €11,063 in Meath to €6,000 in both Offaly and Longford.
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Land demand strong but uncertainty is on the horizon
Strong demand for agricultural land and continued low supply are underpinning high prices, says Portarlington auctioneer Tom McDonald.
Mr McDonald, of Tom McDonald & Associates, said the Central Statistics Office has found that the share of agricultural land sold annually is only around 0.5% of the agricultural area. He identified which sector of farming is buying most.
“In a competitive market, dairy farmers continue to be identified by agents as the most active buyer group in the agricultural land market, followed by dry stock farmers and tillage farmers.
“While favourable conditions in the dairy and beef sectors supported increased sales activity during 2025, the report also highlights emerging constraints that are increasingly influencing decision-making across the sector.
“Price volatility, rising input costs, regulatory requirements and wider geopolitical uncertainty are now central considerations for many farmers as they plan for the future,” he said.
Mr McDonald, who is on the SCSI’s Rural Agency Committee, says regional variations remain pronounced.
“While Leinster continues to record the highest average land values, Connacht and Ulster experienced the strongest growth in 2025, reflecting a combination of previously lower value levels, changing demand patterns and the influence of nontraditional buyers in some areas,” he said.
Mr McDonald said farm consolidation is an ongoing trend reflecting operational efficiencies and long-term security larger holdings can provide within modern farming systems.
“Allied to this is the growing importance of long-term leasing which has become a central pillar of the Irish agricultural land market rather than a peripheral feature,” he said.
He added that SCSI members reported demand for poorer and marginal land has been supported in some areas by forestry-related activity, while purchasers from Northern Ireland are active in the market for both farming and investment purposes in the Republic.
He added that the relatively modest percentage increases in land values in Munster may reflect a period of stabilisation following strong increases recorded in 2020 and 2024, and the rising input costs and risks in the sector.
Mr McDonald expects 2026 to be challenging with increased uncertainty expected to pressure farm profitability.
The full report and its digital dashboard are available at https://scsi.ie/land/