SHOTLIST:

ATHLONE, IRELAND (JANUARY 10, 2026) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF IRISH FARMERS MARCHING AND DRIVING TRACTORS DURING PROTEST IN ATHLONE

2.VARIOUS OF FARMERS ATTENDING DEMOSTRATION

3. VARIOUS OF IRISH FARMERS MARCHING, CARRYING BANNERS

4. IRISH FARMERS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (TWO SHOTS)
ATHLONE, IRELAND - JANUARY 10, 2026: Irish farmers staged a large protest on Saturday in the central town of Athlone, opposing the proposed EU trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur.

Thousands of farmers, many arriving with tractors, gathered to warn that the deal would flood European markets with cheaper agricultural imports, threatening local livelihoods. Protesters said the agreement would undermine Irish farming by allowing products produced under lower environmental and animal welfare standards.

Demonstrators also raised concerns about deforestation in South America and accused EU leaders of sacrificing rural communities for free trade.

EU member states on Friday approved a long-awaited free trade agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur despite opposition from several countries and ongoing farmers' protests across Europe, according to local media.

EU member states' ambassadors approved the free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc, clearing the way for its official signing on Monday in Paraguay, the Belga news agency reported, citing EU sources.

The deal, covering Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, had been in negotiations for over 20 years and will become the EU's largest trade agreement in terms of population, encompassing more than 700 million people.