How much does a bundle of land in Europe cost?

In one country, a hectare of land costs less than €2.000, while in the Netherlands €63.000 is paid. Land prices are rising in almost all European countries. This is evident from figures from Eurostat. Rabobank signals an increasing interest in emigration.

An increase in the price of land can be seen in almost all countries. Especially in countries that are interesting for the Dutch farmer. For example, Denmark is a country where many farmers be interested in† The land price there has risen since 2014 from approximately €17.000 per hectare to more than €21.000 per hectare. For arable land, €5.000 per hectare more is quickly paid.

Eurostat figures show that the price of land in France has risen slightly to over €6.000 per hectare. Brokers indeed make it clear that the price in France rises less rapidly than in other Western countries. Note that the €6.000 is an average, but that the price in Northern France, for example, is approaching 10.000 per hectare.

Rise in Germany
Germany is interesting for both arable farmers and livestock farmers, because the country is easily accessible from the Netherlands. Good arable land is not widely available with our eastern neighbors. The average price in 2016 in the country was €22.300 per hectare. In 2014, that price was still more than €4.000 per hectare lower.

The price of land in Poland is also experiencing a remarkable increase. Since 2014, the price has risen from €7.700 per hectare to more than €9.000 per hectare. This has little to do with the fact that a lot of land is bought by foreign farmers. Poland has a policy that foreigners must have a permit to buy land in the country.

Falling prices?
Ireland is a favorable exception, as land prices have fallen from €2014 per hectare since 26.000 to over €21.000 in 2016. According to Eurostat figures, land prices in Romania have also fallen from €2.423 per hectare in 2014 to just under €2.000 in 2016 However, government publications show that the price in the country is on the rise and that the price is expected to rise by 10% next year.

De land price in the Netherlands stands out, as you know, head and shoulders above the rest. According to Eurostat figures, the price of land in the Netherlands has increased by more than €2014 per hectare since 6.000. This makes the Netherlands also the fastest climber. 

stoppers
According to insiders, many dairy farmers are considering emigrating, mainly because of (environmental) regulations. Marijn Dekkers, sector specialist Dairy Farming at Rabobank: "Partly as a result of the high price of phosphate rights, which limits development opportunities, we see an increasing interest in emigration. The means of production in the Netherlands are expensive, while in parts of Europe the investment costs per cow are considerably lower."

Land prices in Europe

* Prices in € per hectare

Anne-Jan Doorn

Anne Jan Doorn is an arable expert at Boerenbusiness. He writes about the various arable farming markets and also focuses on the land and energy market.

aj.doorn@boerenbusiness. Nl

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