Tension boiled over in Greece on Sunday as farmers in central and northern regions clashed with riot police, furious over delayed EU subsidy payments and a spiralling agricultural fraud scandal that has shaken the government.
Hundreds of tractors snarled the Athens–Thessaloniki highway near Larissa, forcing police to fire tear gas. Three protesters were arrested, though farmers managed to shut down the national artery, and vowed they’re not going anywhere.
The subsidy delays come as authorities investigate widespread fraud involving farmers who allegedly faked land and livestock records to siphon off EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds. Officials say more than €30m in false claims were made.
Deputy Minister of Rural Development Christos Kellas said payments were reduced because the probe is still underway.
“They received 100 million euros less at this stage,” he told ERT. “After appeals, those who are entitled to funds will receive them.”
The scandal has triggered multiple investigations and a parliamentary probe into OPEKEPE, the government agency that distributes roughly €2.5bn in EU aid annually. One minister has already resigned as political fallout widens around Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government.
Farmers are also demanding compensation after sheep pox wiped out more than 400,000 sheep and goats, all slaughtered to contain the outbreak. The government has rejected calls to allow vaccinations, arguing there’s no evidence they work.
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