Greek farmers clash with police amid protests over delayed EU subsidies | Protests News

Hundreds of farmers block parts of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway in protest over the delayed payments.

Greek farmers have clashed with police during protests in central and northern regions over the delayed payment of European Union subsidies.

Police used tear gas on Sunday as the farmers brought hundreds of tractors to block the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway near the central city of Larissa.

Officers made three arrests, police said, but the farmers managed to close the highway ahead of additional protests planned for next week.

“We will stay here until [the government] gives solutions,” local farm trade unionist Costas Tzelas told reporters.

The delay in payments comes amid investigations into a scandal in which some farmers allegedly faked land and livestock ownership to receive EU agricultural subsidies.

Greek officials say the fraudsters made more than 30 million euros ($35m) worth of false claims for Common Agricultural Policy subsidies.

Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Christos Kellas told the ERT public broadcaster on Sunday that farmers had received reduced EU subsidies as the investigation into fraudulent claims was still under way.

“They received 100 million euros [$116m] less at this stage,” he added. “After appeals, those who are entitled to funds will receive them.”

Greek authorities have launched separate investigations, and the parliament is probing the government agency OPEKEPE, which distributes roughly 2.5 billion euros ($2.9bn) in EU aid annually to hundreds of thousands of farmers.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of a minister in the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Livestock farmers were also demanding compensation following the loss of more than 400,000 sheep and goats to a sheep pox outbreak, all slaughtered to stop the disease.

The authorities have resisted calls from farmers to be allowed to vaccinate their flocks, arguing there is no proof the measure actually works.