What Data sources are the CSO using in the production of Agricultural Land Prices?
A list of administrative data sources is detailed in the table below. Data matching is used to match Stamp Duty returns to the Property Registration Authority (PRA) data by the Stamp Certificate ID. A small area code from the An Post Geo-Directory is attached to the data using the XY seedpoints available in the PRA. Finally, a land type indicator is attached to the data using the small area code available in the Farm Structure Survey data.
| Data Source | Institution Source | Information used in Agricultural Land Prices |
| Stamp Duty Returns | Revenue Commissioners | Price, date, quantity of land sold, reliefs attached to transactions |
| Property Registration Authority Data | Property Registration Authority of Ireland | Commonage information, XY co-ordinates seedpoint for the land parcel |
| Geo-Directory | An Post Geo-Directory Ltd. | XY co-ordinates for small area information |
| Farm Structure Survey and Census of Agriculture | Central Statistics Office | Land descriptions for each small area |
What historical information is available?
The land price information is available at NUTS3 level from 2013 onwards as that is the earliest date of available data. A series on Land Sales from 1991 to 2005 is also available on the CSO website. However, it should be noted that there is a large difference in methodology between the two series.
Are all land sales included in the calculation of the agricultural land prices?
Agricultural Land Prices are based on land sold purely for agricultural use with no additional entitlements attached to the land. As a result, the following transactions are excluded:
What is Median Price?
Median price is the middle value of a list of prices when sorted in order of price. That is to say that half of the transactions are below the median price and half are above.
Can prices be compared across years?
No, agricultural land prices should not be used to make a direct comparison between prices in different periods. Agricultural land prices are not independent of changes in the physical or locational mix of agricultural land transacted in a given year and therefore, comparing prices over time is not a like-for-like comparison.
What is the difference between arable land and permanent grassland?
Arable land is land worked regularly, generally under a system of crop rotation. Permanent grassland is land used permanently to grow herbaceous forage crops, through cultivation (sown) or naturally (self-seeded) and which is not included in the crop rotation on the holding.
What is commonage?
Commonage is defined as land in which multiple tenants hold an undivided share in the property and have a distinct and separate interest in that property. The land is not physically divided so no one person owns a particular part of the property. That is to say, it is communally owned and operated, and third parties must treat the co-owners as a single unit for the transactions in respect of the land.