Farmers march to OPEKEPE headquarters in Athens
Organized by the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, farmers and livestock breeders from across the country gathered in central Athens to draw attention to the sector’s challenges.
The protesters first marched to the Ministry of Agricultural Development and then to the headquarters of OPEKEPE, the public agency currently under investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) for suspected corruption in subsidy payments.
Farmers highlighted rising production costs and demanded the immediate release of delayed government subsidies, which have been stalled due to the ongoing corruption investigation. They also called for compensation for losses suffered by livestock breeders due to a recent outbreak of sheep pox, which has negatively affected small ruminant farming in the country.
The EPPO opened an investigation in May into suspected irregularities in subsidies distributed through OPEKEPE. In June, one minister and three deputy ministers resigned, and payments to farmers were temporarily suspended pending further investigation.
Since August, approximately 32,000 small ruminants have been culled in the East Macedonia and Thrace region due to the sheep pox outbreak.
