Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ ongoing visit to the northern Greek region of Rodopi on Tuesday has been marked by farmer protests over government agricultural policy and delayed financial support.
Hours before his arrival, farmers blocked access to Alexandroupolis airport with their tractors, leading to a brief standoff with police. The protesters, many of whom spent the night at the site, demanded immediate compensation for losses and stronger measures to support livestock producers hit by a devastating outbreak of sheep and goat pox.
Diesel tax relief announced amid unrest
During his regional tour, Mitsotakis announced a 50% increase in the ceiling for the quantity of diesel fuel eligible for excise tax refunds. A measure he said aims to ease production costs and show that the government “remains in constant dialogue with the primary sector.”
Despite government announcement, anger among farmers remains palpable. Local unions accuse the government of failing to deliver on promises and of leaving the countryside “in a state of despair.”
“The promises made to us have not been fulfilled, poverty is knocking on our door, and the government has no plan,” a joint statement from farmers in Thrace said. “We have no choice but to continue our collective and dynamic mobilizations.”
Protests spreading beyond Thrace
At the same time, the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS) is organizing a rally in Athens outside the Ministry of Rural Development, calling for the immediate payment of compensations by the Greek Payment Authority (OPEKEPE) and emergency aid for livestock farmers.
Farmers from Crete and Thessaly joined the demonstrations, with the Federation of Livestock Farmers of Thessaly denouncing what it called the “catastrophic mismanagement” of the animal disease crisis, which has led to the culling of more than 400,000 animals.
Government response and next steps
Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Christos Kellas said that payments to farmers had already begun following administrative checks and that €178 million in income-loss support, along with basic subsidies, would be disbursed by the end of November.
Mitsotakis’ tour on Tuesday includes visits to the Maroneia area, the newly “inaugurated” industrial gas compression station operated by DESFA in Komotini, a plastics company, the Komotini Music School, and the Karatheodori Museum, before concluding at the construction site of the new Komotini General Hospital, funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
A nationwide farmers’ assembly is scheduled for November 23 in Nikaia, near Larissa, where participants are expected to decide whether to continue or escalate their protests, potentially returning tractors to the roads in early December.
