New study reveals Roscommon among top counties to start a farm
A new study has revealed that Roscommon, Cork, Galway, Mayo, and Wexford are the best counties in Ireland to start a farm.
A new study has revealed that Roscommon, Cork, Galway, Mayo, and Wexford are the best counties in Ireland to start a farm.
The research conducted by Calor Gas analysed each county's suitability to start a farm across a range of data points including, availability of agricultural land to buy and the average hours of sunlight each county gets each year. Each data point was given a weighted score out of 100 and the counties ranked out of a total score of 500.
Roscommon came in fifth with an index score of 248. With 110 listings of agricultural land currently on the market and over €77 million paid to farmers in government grants and schemes in 2023, the Roscommon agriculture sector appears to be growing.
Cork was ranked as the best county to start a farm with an index score of 359 out of 500. County Galway, with an index score of 351, came in second in the rankings. Mayo came third scoring 285 out of 500 in the index rankings followed by Wexford. Farms in the county received over €135 million in government grants last year, while the county also has the greatest number of land listings available on the market with 169.
Louise Carrick, Head of Marketing & CX at Calor commented: “Farmers have long been the lifeblood of Ireland, and their challenges aren’t getting any easier. It is however, such a rewarding way of life and is crucial to the success of our economy, but it is a tough job make no mistake about it.
“The average farmer is likely to be doing manual work well into their seventies at the current rate so if more younger people are getting interested in the sector, that can only be a good thing for the long-term success of the sector.
* More information and the full research is available here
