What drove agricultural land sales in 2025? A new report points to a clear answer: ageing farmers and a lack of successors.

The report - produced by Teagasc and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) - highlights a story that will be familiar to many when it comes to farms changing hands.

According Dr. Frank Harrington, chair of the SCSI’s Rural Agency and Discipline Lead of Real Estate and Valuations at TU Dublin, "succession and probate sales are among the most common sources of land coming to market".

The Annual Agricultural Land Market Review Outlook 2026 report, published this week, outlines that last year, executors "acting in probate sales were reported as the most active seller group in the market" when it came to land sales.

It also identified that landowners who had inherited land but had "no intention of farming it" were also identified as an active group in the sales market.

However another reason why land changed hands in 2025 was, according to the report from Teagasc and the SCSI due to the "intergenerational transfer of agricultural land".

In the report the authors detail that:"This reflects the continued emphasis on succession planning within the sector, as farm families seek to manage ownership transitions in a structured and tax-efficient manner.

The Annual Agricultural Land Market Review Outlook 2026 report also shows that simply on price alone last year there was a wide gap depending on land quality.

Poorer land averaged around €6,963 per acre, while good quality ground came in at about €14,126.

But as always, location still matters.

Wexford led the way for top-quality land, with prices hitting €19,226 per acre, closely followed by Kildare at €19,200.

At the other end of the scale, Leitrim had the lowest average for poorer land, at €3,772 per acre.