Farmers agree to talks with government, keep roads open
The farmers are awaiting confirmation of a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, expected as early as Friday, and will be represented by a 25-member delegation with five observers. Government sources said participation will be limited, with a key condition being that roads remain open and that no individuals with a record of illegal activity or involvement in OPEKEPE subsidy cases take part.
Farmers signaled a willingness to de-escalate protests but stressed that talks must address not only financial aid and compensation, but also long-term structural problems in the primary sector, including production models and water management, particularly in flood-hit Thessaly.
Discussions are also continuing within the farming movement on whether to maintain or withdraw roadblocks in the coming days. Livestock farmers are scheduled to hold separate talks with government officials next week.
Earlier, farmers and livestock breeders met with a government delegation to clarify recently announced measures, including subsidies without property ID numbers (ATAK) for plots under 20 stremmas, additional aid for fodder producers, and targeted support for cotton and wheat growers.
The government says it is open to dialogue under strict conditions, while farmers say the outcome of the talks will determine the future of their mobilizations.
Rodopi farmers to follow national protest committee’s stance
Farmers manning the roadblock in Rodopi said they will align their next steps with decisions taken by the Panhellenic Committee of Roadblocks, which is due to meet later on Wednesday.
“We will follow the stance of the Panhellenic Committee of Roadblocks, which will meet at 1 p.m. and determine the course of action from here on,” Valantis Vogiatzis, a representative of the Rodopi farmers, told state broadcaster ERT.
Commenting on recent meetings between some protest representatives and government officials, Vogiatzis said that aside from the issue of abolishing the ATAK property identification requirement, no new commitments had been made by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and farmers’ demands remained unanswered.
“We have been on the roads for 45 days. We are not the ones who stole anything; we invested and complied with the rules,” he said, expressing concern about the future of Greece’s primary and food production sectors, particularly in light of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.
Vogiatzis added that an announcement is expected later on Wednesday regarding the time and location of a separate meeting requested by Rodopi farmers, to be attended by the region’s three lawmakers as well as the regional governor and deputy governor.
