As the European Commission puts forward its proposals for the EU-Mercosur partnership agreement, Agriland caught up with farmers at Kilcullen mart to see what their take was on the situation.

There was a large turn out today, (Wednesday, September 3) as the holding yard was full of all types of stock, with a particularly great range of Angus, Herefords, Charolais and Friesians.

At the end of the day, sellers left the mart happy, with prices still above average despite falling slightly in the last fortnight.

However, despite the fact the yard was bustling, many farmers told Agriland they were disappointed about the EU-Mercosur deal, and highlighted their fears about farming in the future.

Many of these farmers said they are scared to hold onto cattle and are expecting a price drop.

One animal haulier also outlined his concern about food security, saying a lot of the population will have empty sheds this winter, with many beef farmers near empty already.

Some of the farmers attending today's mart also said they felt "let down" by their local TD - who is the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.

Some believe "he is not doing enough to protect Irish beef".

Many of the farmers told Agriland that they have concerns with regards to food safety, because "South American countries do not have the same regulations in place that we have here".

On the other hand, some of the buyers who were feeling the stress at today's mart said that it would be brilliant, as it would bring the price of cattle down.

But many farmers also believe it will not affect the market at all and feel that it will be too expensive to import beef from "the other side of the world".

According to some farmers at the mart today they are confident that Irish consumers will not buy meat that is not Bord Bia approved.