What are farmers at the mart talking about this week?

Unsurprisingly, fuel prices were one of the hottest topics of conversation.

Agriland visited Delvin Mart in Co. Westmeath to hear directly from farmers about their biggest concerns and the issues affecting them.

With the Budget coming up, there was a lot of discussion about what the government might deliver - but for some farmers we spoke to, one issue came through loud and clear: the cost of fuel.

"They'll put people out of business with fuel," one farmer told us.

Another farmer said keeping diesel prices down would make a major difference, particularly as farmers face rising costs across the board.

“If they can keep the diesel prices down, it'll get hard to do it when you have to beat Trump and that's not going to happen," he said.

But fuel is not the only pressure.

Fertiliser, meal and other inputs are all adding to the cost of keeping cattle on the farm, leaving little or no margin for some farmers.

The hope is that the government will provide some form of support in the upcoming Budget, even if it is relatively modest.

“If they give us anything at all, even 5%, it's a help," a farmer told Agriland.

Farmers also pointed to environmental schemes as an area where additional support could make a difference.

For beef farmers, the past year has brought another set of challenges.

One farmer described the summer conditions as particularly difficult, with poor grass growth making it difficult to buy and keep cattle.

"It was horrible. It was the most horrible year that ever came," he said.

And those difficult conditions have come on top of a year of high fuel and fertiliser costs.

“I didn't start paying the bills yet, but when I do, I know it'll be well on top of it," a farmer told Agriland.

For others producing cattle, calves and sheep there is a feeling that they remain at the bottom of the ladder when it comes to margins.

"I always feel that he's at the bottom of the ladder all the time. So he's the man that needs all the support that he can get," said one at Delvin mart on Budget 2027.

And as farmers look towards the winter, there are concerns about what lies ahead — particularly for those finishing cattle.

"You see store cattle there in the trade that they are at the minute, and then what they're giving them, what they're getting, two different things," a farmer said.

The message from Delvin Mart was clear: farmers have faced a difficult year, input costs remain high and there is growing pressure on margins.