The most important and largest agricultural estate and organic farm to come to the Irish market this century is now for sale with a €17m guide price.
The company, formerly Donegal Creameries, has placed the land for sale with estate agents Savills.
One of the largest organic farms in Europe, Grianan Estate is is situated at Speenoge, Burt, Co Donegal — 20 minutes from the larger towns of Letterkenny and Derry.
Grianán Estate is one of the most interesting and sizable farming enterprises to come to the market for many years.
It comprises a substantial agricultural farm of approximately 970 hectares / 2,400 acres to include arable and grazing land and the lake and foreshore.
The farm is laid out in large easily accessible divisions currently in arable crops, vegetables and grass.
They are maintained to a high standard creating a successful commercial opportunity with a proven income stream.
Under the present arrangement a substantial portion of the land is leased out to one party, who operates the largest organic dairy farm in the country.
The property includes a 500-acre lake, and consists mainly of land reclaimed from Lough Swilly, fertile and suitable for all farming enterprises.
Several brands are sourced from the farm
For the past 10 years, the farm has produced some 3,000 tonnes of organic milk, vegetables, and cereals annually. Several Irish household brands are sourced from the farm.
A number of leases are currently in operation across the Grianan Estate including to conventional producers of potatoes, wheat, oats and barley.
The estate overlooks the shores of Lough Swilly, which is famous for wildlife watching (dolphins, porpoise, seabirds, migratory geese, and swans), and for diving on shipwrecks such as the White Star Line’s SS Laurentic — sunk in 1917 by a German mine.
According to Pat O’Hagan of Savills, the sale has already generated significant interest from investors, active farmers, and farming companies.
"For anyone with a vested interest in the Irish agri-food industry, the sale of the Grianan Estate will be significant news due to the sheer scale and quality of the offering," he said.
"There has already been interest from a whole host of potential buyers. No other opportunity of this scale is likely to be presented again in the Irish farming property market in the near future."
