Carlow revealed as one of the worst counties to start a farm in Ireland

Carlow has been revealed as the second worst county to start a farm in with just Dublin deemed a less suitable location.

A new Calor Gas study has revealed Cork, Galway, Mayo, Wexford and Roscommon are the best counties in Ireland to start a farm.

The research 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.

Cork was ranked as the best county to start a farm with an index score of 359 out of 500. With 128 listings of agricultural land currently on the market and over €195 million paid to Farms in government grants and schemes in 2023, the Cork agriculture sector appears to be growing.

Galway, with an index score of 351, came in second in the rankings. With an abundance of available land on the market (6,700 acres), and 165 individual listings, farmers would be spoilt for choice on where to set up shop.

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Rounding out the top three was Mayo, scoring 285 out of 500 in the index rankings. 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.

Carlow, with a score of 128 was second last, just ahead of neighbours Laois with 135 points. Dublin was last on the index with a score of just 91.

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”

For more information and to view the full research, TAP HERE.