Farmers close Crete airports

TT

Published 22.03

 

Farmers will stop traffic at Heraklion airport on Monday. Photo: Eurokinissi/AP/TT

Farmers demanding EU subsidies that are being withheld have closed Crete airports.

Protesters, the vast majority of them farmers and according to Greek media several hundred, made their way past both police and fences on Monday and parked themselves on the runways of Crete's two largest airports, in Heraklion and Chania.

Several of them plan to stay there until Tuesday morning to protest against the authorities in Athens withholding EU subsidies that farmers believe they are entitled to.

The demonstration is part of nationwide protests against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his government, who are facing criticism for having all beneficiaries audited for past fraud with EU subsidies, totaling the equivalent of 300 million kronor.

Sheep farmers are also battling a widespread epidemic of sheep and goat pox in the country. More than 400,000 sheep and goats have been culled and farmers are demanding compensation for the animals that were killed. The epidemic has also prompted warnings of an impending shortage of feta cheese, reports the BBC.