Farmers block one lane on national highway in central Greece

Hundreds of farmers have parked their tractors along one lane of the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway at the Nikaia junction in Farsala, central Greece, signaling the start of the latest round of protests by Greek farmers.

The so-called “blockade” is expected to get bigger as more farmers join from Karditsa and other parts of the region, while related “blockades” are also being set up in northern Greece and are expected in the Peloponnese and possibly Crete in the coming days or weeks.

Such protests have become an almost annual event after the winter harvest and have in the past led to drawn-out action that has affected imports and exports, as well as the supply of agricultural products to the local market.

Organizers of the protests have issued a list of demands, threatening to expand their action if they are not addressed by the government.

These include a minimum price on their products, lower production costs by reducing the price of electricity and scrapping value-added tax, better pensions, less social security contributions, more aid for natural disasters, protection from creditors and other such measures.