Transfers of agricultural properties, 2007

The annual number of transfers of agricultural properties in this decade has been stable. Approximately 5 per cent of a total of 190 000 agricultural properties have been transferred annually.

Compared with 2006, the average purchase price for agricultural properties sold on the free market increased by 8 per cent. In the period 2000-2007, the average purchase price has doubled from NOK 635 000 to NOK 1 278 000.

Fewer transfers

In 2007, a total of 8 750 transfers of agricultural properties were registered. This represents a 1 per cent decrease from the previous year. Slightly more than 2 700 of the properties were sold on the free market, 2 per cent fewer than in 2006.

A total of 33 per cent of the transferred properties had industrial activity in agriculture or forestry. For the properties sold on the free market, 28 per cent had such activity. One in ten of the properties sold on the free market had industrial activity in agriculture.

Differences in purchase price

The average purchase price varies considerably among different regions. A classification of municipalities by centrality and industrial link shows that the average purchase price in less central service industry municipalities and primary industry municipalities was NOK 690 000 and NOK 725 000 respectively, while the average in central service industrial municipalities was NOK 2.4 million.

The purpose of use not only agriculture

The purpose of use for the transferred properties is reported on the deed of conveyance. For the transferred agricultural properties sold on the free market in 2007, 72 per cent had agriculture as the purpose of use, 18 per cent dwelling, 8 per cent holiday and 3 per cent other purposes.

The buyers were adult males

Agricultural property is mostly bought or taken over by men. For the transfers in total, 60 per cent of the new owners were men and 36 per cent were women. For the remaining 4 per cent, the buyer was not a private individual.

The average age of new owners for all transfers of agricultural properties in 2007 was 50.

Tables:

• Table 1 Registered transfer of agriculture properties, by county, size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2007
• Table 2 Average purchase price for registered transfers of agricultural properties sold on the free market, by centrality2, size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2007. NOK
• Table 3 Average purchase price per registered transfer of agricultural properties sold on the fre market, by size of owned agriculture area and size of productive forest area. 2007. NOK
• Table 4 Registered transfers of agricultural properties, by county, type of transfer and type and sex of buyer. 2007