Farmers and livestock breeders in Chania will start mobilizations on Friday, November 28, following a meeting of their associations. According to Manousos Stavrianoudakis, vice president of the Federation of Agricultural Associations of Chania, “for our survival” they will gather with their agricultural vehicles at the Mournia junction at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.
Their demands include: - Payment of all outstanding amounts and the basic subsidies that should already have been paid. - Minimum guaranteed prices that cover production costs and provide a viable income to meet living and cultivation expenses. - Measures to reduce production costs. - Tax-free diesel at the pump. - Changes to the ELGA (Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization) regulations so that production and capital are insured and compensated at 100% for all natural risks and diseases at every stage of production, with adequate state funding.
For livestock breeders, two urgent issues stand out: the handling of the pox outbreak and the OPEKEPE scandal. They demand that funds “that were stolen” be returned and distributed to the rightful beneficiaries, that they should not bear the fines, that political and criminal responsibilities be assigned, and that the names involved be made public.
Stavrianoudakis described the demands as “just,” stating there will be a nationwide campaign in which Crete will participate.
Giannis Tsepetis of the Agricultural Association of Voukolies, Chania, urged the government to address the abandonment of villages: young people are leaving the primary sector and older residents are doing what they can. Problems with product prices and the state’s handling of issues such as animal diseases and product movement have driven many young people away from agriculture.
