The “hardliners” of the roadblocks show no intention of backing down, remaining committed to escalating their mobilizations, with the sole concession being the reopening of roads for New Year’s holiday travelers, in an effort to ease the reactions caused yesterday, Sunday, by drivers who needed up to 12 hours to travel from Thessaloniki to Athens.

They are also attempting to present that there is no rift among the farmers, with Rizos Maroudas from the Nikaia roadblock claiming that “there are 11 roadblocks that say they are continuing together with the pan-Hellenic committee.”

He accused fellow farmers who appeared more conciliatory in recent days in favor of a meeting with the government of “objectively pouring water on the government’s mill, without stating where they differentiate their positions and where they disagree with the demands. No one can play with the survival of farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, and beekeepers.”

At the same time, the Minister of Agricultural Development, Kostas Tsiaras, said in statements this morning that “the ball of dialogue is in the farmers’ court,” adding pointedly that “if 18 decided what they decided, this cannot become an object of pressure and ridicule. Democracy has rules, and these must be respected by everyone. Some cannot invoke it for their demands and at the same time undermine it with their behavior.”

Bypass Roads Also Closed

At 14:00, farmers in Bralos will close the PATHE service road for two hours, noting that despite the escalation of mobilizations, they will continue to show social responsibility and facilitate traffic in view of the departure and return of New Year’s holiday travelers.

At 16:00, their colleagues at the Nikaia roadblock will proceed with a similar action, blocking bypass roads.

In Achaia, since Saturday afternoon, the Patras Ring Road has once again been closed. It had been opened to facilitate Christmas travelers, and traffic is now being diverted through the city.

In Aetolia-Acarnania, today farmers and livestock breeders will again close the Ionian Motorway (12:00 p.m.) at the Angelokastro tolls, where they had previously allowed two lanes of traffic in each direction. More than 300 tractors are lined up at the site.

In Ilia, from approximately 8:00 p.m. last night, strong farmer forces gathered at the Pyrgos interchange, blocking for about two hours, as announced, both the Patras–Pyrgos National Road and the Olympia Odos motorway in both directions. A similar roadblock was also set up in Lechaina, where the Patras–Pyrgos road was also closed, causing significant traffic delays.

The Evzones customs checkpoint will also remain closed today for all vehicles in both directions, from 12:00 to 16:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. Only emergency cases will be allowed to pass (e.g., patients with a doctor’s note, vehicles with small children, etc.).

The roadblock at the Promachonas customs checkpoint is being reinforced today with the arrival of tractors from the municipalities of Irakleia and Sidirokastro. The gathered farmers will decide on the further course of their mobilizations during their general assembly at 2:00 p.m.

For the third consecutive day, the Exochi Drama border crossing remains closed to trucks. The gathered farmers—who meet daily at 19:00—state their intention to continue the blockade until Tuesday, when the roadblocks will be lifted to facilitate New Year’s holiday travelers.

In Chalkidona, farmers will close the motorway interchange there from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for all vehicles, excluding city buses and emergency cases.

At the same time, the “hardliners” of the roadblocks are planning a further escalation after New Year’s, with a pan-Hellenic meeting likely to take place next Saturday, January 3.

Tsiaras: What He Said About Agricultural Electricity, Payments, and Fuel Excise Tax

“The ball of dialogue is in the farmers’ court,” said the Minister of Agricultural Development, Kostas Tsiaras, on Monday morning, noting at the same time that “I cannot understand how, with these steps taken by the government, part of the farmers cannot see this as an opportunity to resolve long-standing problems in the agricultural sector.”

Specifically regarding agricultural electricity, he told SKAI that “we are extending the low price and reducing it even further,” while on agricultural fuel he stressed that “farmers are asking that the special consumption tax not be withheld at the moment they refuel at the pump, and we are satisfying this request.” Mr. Tsiaras also stated that there must be a reassessment of fuel consumption and that the refund of the special consumption tax is without a cap.

“The government has taken bold steps to resolve the problem,” the Minister of Agricultural Development added, reminding that “the Prime Minister himself has made himself available for dialogue.” He also said that “if 18 of the roadblocks have taken a decision for dialogue, they should not become objects of pressure and ridicule.”

Regarding payments, he said there was a delay due to efforts to clean up OPEKEPE and carry out inspections, adding that the key issue is the purification of OPEKEPE, and that almost the entire amount of payments has been made.

“We are open to seeing which other products need support,” Mr. Tsiaras also noted. Referring to sheep pox, he stated that “the government decided and provided generous compensation for the animals that were put down,” and that the issue of vaccination is a decision for the scientific community. “There is no country in the EU that has administered the vaccine for pox,” Mr. Tsiaras emphasized.

Finally, when asked whether he himself would go to the roadblocks, the Minister of Agricultural Development replied that he is willing to do so, “provided that there is the same willingness on the other side.”