Western Thrace farmers protest delays in subsidy payments
Hüseyin Zeybek, Member of Parliament for İskeçe (İskeçe) representing the New Left Party, has brought the issue of delays and technical problems in agricultural support payments affecting farmers in Western Thrace to the attention of Greece’s Ministry of Rural Development and Food.
In a parliamentary question submitted to the ministry, Zeybek highlighted that technical malfunctions in OPEKEPE’s satellite monitoring system have caused serious hardships for local producers.
He recalled that, following what has been referred to as the “New Democracy scandal,” subsidy payments were suspended, placing a heavy economic burden on farmers and livestock breeders in the region. Zeybek further noted that the recent mass culling of livestock due to disease outbreaks has exacerbated the sector’s difficulties.
According to the motion, the satellite-based assessment system has misclassified dryland (non-irrigated) areas, excluding many cultivated and actively farmed lands from financial support. Farmers also reported receiving delayed notifications about their eligibility and were given only one week to correct or appeal their application files.
Zeybek questioned the ministry, asking:
“What steps will be taken to correct the technical errors that have caused active farmers to lose their rightful subsidies?”
Farmers’ associations across Western Thrace have echoed these concerns, calling for urgent government action to ensure fair and timely payments.
