Greek, Bulgarian farmers continue their protests against national, EU-wide agricultural policies
‘No one can blackmail society, no matter how fair their demands,’ says Greek premier about protests
Farmers stage a protest at Thessaloniki International Fair, demanding dialogue with the government on electricity, fuel, and other expenses of agricultural production in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 03, 2024.
ATHENS
Greek and Bulgarian farmers continued protests against the national and EU-wide agricultural policies, media reports said Wednesday.
Greek farmers, livestock breeders and beekeepers symbolically blocked roads for 30 minutes in the central areas in Malgara, Derveni, Strymoniko, Chalkidona and Kouloura, as well as the northwestern port city of Igumenitsa and the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway, said public broadcaster, ERT.
Among the demands are cheaper prices for agricultural fuel and electricity, a tax reduction for animal feed, fertilizers and agricultural machinery and an extensive revision of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “No one can blackmail society, no matter how fair their demands,” as he commented on the protests.
In Bulgaria, farmers blocked the entrance and exit of the western city of Ikhtimann as they protested policies which they said is leading to bankruptcy of the agricultural sector, according to the state-run BTA news agency.
Todor Dzhikov, chairman of the National Association of Potato Producers (NAC) Todor Dzhikov told BTA: “We are striking for the price of the Green Deal, which only we farmers pay, as well as for the liberalized import market from Ukraine and other countries.”
“We will continue to strike until we win,” he added.
