Farmers disappointed from gov’t measures, protests most likely to continue

“Not a single farmer seems satisfied from the government’s announcements on support measures,” a reported of state broadcaster ERT said very shortly after the live press conference of ministers and general secretaries in charge concluded at noon on Wednesday, January 7.

The reporter was in Malgara near Thessaloniki, one of the protesting blocks that have been with their tractors on the roads since November 30.

The block in Malgara as well as in other areas across the country are planning to convene in the afternoon and evening today and decide how to proceed with their protests.

Farmers and livestock breeders as well as other sectors of the primary production in the country are deeply disappointed saying that the government did not understand anything about the issues the sector has been facing.

“What the ministers announced could have been done 25 days ago and be a base for a dialogue,” a farmer said.

“The announcements are for both sides to sit at the table and not for the substantive solution of the problems,” the farmers said.

“The announced measures are full of ambiguities and do not help everybody,” said another pointing out at the offered price of fuel at the pump at €0.85, however, only for those who are serving their debts.

In the block of Kastro in Viotia, the farmers stated that the 80 million euros are not enough to cover the needs, while they characterized the price of a kilowatt-hour as too high and that furthermore it does not benefit everybody.

“What I get from my colleagues is failed payments, programs that are left in the middle, programs that we implemented and were deceived, as we invested in a product and instead of supporting it, they continue and make agreements with third countries, importing products of dubious quality. I expected the government to stand up to its weight this time, announcing measures for the future of agriculture, instead they told us through half-truths that we do not want you. The Mercosur agreement will be a gravestone for us, the future is considered very bleak. I do not know how the farmers will respond, they certainly will not leave the road so easily,” the representative of an agricultural cooperative stressed.

Even though the several representatives who spoke to media declined to reveal their intentions, for the time being it seems as if they will continue the mobilizations.

“Until we know what will happen with our livestock, we’ll stay on the roads,” a breeder told ERT. Livestock breeders complain not only for the sheep and goat pox that led to the culling of almost half a million animals since august 2024, but also about the high cost of production and low subsidies.

It currently seems that protesting farmers and breeders will proceed with the 48-hour blockade of several highways on Thursday and Friday, January 8-9, 2026, as they had announced last Sunday.

At the Kipoi Customs, the farmers expressed disappointment, stating that the customs blockade will be in effect on Thursday and Friday.

Punitive measures against protesters

At the same time, the government proceeds with “punishing measures” against the protesters and with an urgent regulation today, Wednesday, the prosecutor of Supreme Court advised local prosecutors to initiate ex officio proceedings for the felony of disrupting the safety of transportation in the event of obstruction of transportation by farmers.

Prosecutors are asked to immediately intervene in order to verify offenses “on public, national and non-national roads and the continued occupation, by any means and for any reason, of part or all of the road surface of national, provincial and municipal or community roads, through which motorized and non-motorized vehicles circulate, by participants in the mobilizations of farmers in the country.”

At the same time, prosecutors are requested to “verify the identity of these perpetrators, to exercise of appropriate criminal prosecution against them and their referral for trial before the competent Court, during the in-court or out-of-court procedure, as appropriate.”

In a regulation expected to pass through the Parliament as soon as possible, a fine of 300 euros per day will be imposed to any tractor, agricultural vehicle or any other vehicle disrupting the traffic flow.