Farmers protest over high costs, compensation payments
Farmers in central Greece escalated their protests on Wednesday over the high production costs and compensation payments.
Protesting farmers from Larissa and Karditsa attempted to block traffic with tractors on the national highway E65. Protesters clashed with the police, which used tear gas to dismantle the block, leading to the injury of one farmer who was hospitalized in Karditsa. Another farmer was temporarily taken into police custody.
According to state-run broadcaster ERT, there are still tractors at the city’s entrance.
Τhe farmers request better reimbursement of crop loss due to natural disasters and diseases, as well as the construction of infrastructure to protect the farming industry against extreme weather conditions, and the clearing of water drains and bridge underpasses to prevent future flooding.
They also ask for a 100% reimbursement of crop production losses, as well as the capital which was invested to plant them.
Many farmers lost their livestock, crops, and suffered damages to their farming equipment and households during the devastating wildfires and floods that swept through the country last summer and autumn.
Approximately 150,000 to 180,000 square meters of farmland was flooded extensively as a result Storm Daniel. Many of these areas remain undrained, with the water having damaged or destroyed much agricultural equipment, including tractors and motorized water well pumps, making it impossible for some farmers to resume production.
Rizos Maroudas, who presides over an organization representing agricultural associations in Larissa, told state broadcaster ERT that “there will be participation of farmers en masse” in the protests organized due to the sector’s accumulated problems, exacerbated by the floods in Thessaly.
“It has been five months since the damages occurred, we received few answers and many promises, few of them have actually materialized,” Maroudas said, adding that protests could escalate with additional roadblocks.
Farmers’ anger is mounting across Europe from France and Italy to Germany and the Netherlands against the European Green Deal and hikes in diesel taxes amidst mounting inflation.
