For the third consecutive day, Crete’s livestock farmers and agricultural producers have taken to the streets, continuing their large-scale mobilizations across the island. The demonstrations, centered around Heraklion and other key locations, reflect growing frustration over unpaid subsidies, rising production costs, and collapsing milk prices.
Farmers have gathered with tractors and livestock vehicles, blocking sections of the BOAK highway and access roads near Heraklion International Airport, creating significant traffic disruptions. Despite the inconvenience, protesters insist their goal is not to harm tourism or daily life, but to draw attention to the dire state of the island’s agricultural sector.
“We can’t survive like this anymore,” said a representative of the Heraklion Livestock Association. “Feed prices are up, subsidies are delayed, and our income is shrinking. We need immediate government action.”
The protests follow months of escalating tension sparked by the OPEKEPE subsidy scandal, which exposed irregularities in the distribution of EU agricultural funds. Farmers argue that Cretan producers have been unfairly targeted and left without the financial support they are entitled to (source: Keep Talking Greece).
Local tourism and business groups have expressed concern over the disruptions but also acknowledged the legitimacy of the farmers’ grievances. In a joint statement, Crete’s tourism bodies urged authorities to “find a fair and fast resolution” so that “the island’s vital industries—agriculture and tourism—can coexist without conflict” (source: Tornos News).
As of Friday afternoon, the main highway near Heraklion remains open to emergency and essential vehicles, though police continue to monitor the situation closely. Organizers have vowed to maintain pressure until concrete commitments are made by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Background
Crete’s farmers have long faced challenges tied to volatile market prices, rising feed and fuel costs, and bureaucratic delays in EU funding. The current wave of protests began earlier this fall and has since spread across the island’s major prefectures — Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, and Lasithi — signaling a broader agricultural crisis.
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