- Cretan livestock farmers are preparing for September protests, warning of “absolute destitution.”
- Collapse in milk prices and loss of 4.4 million stremmas of pastureland devastate the sector.
- Unpaid subsidies and the OPEKEPE scandal deepen frustration; farmers accuse the government of empty promises.
- Rising uncertainty threatens not only livelihoods but also the quality and cost of local produce.
Cretan livestock farmers are preparing to take their struggle to the streets. Facing plunging milk prices, shrinking pastureland, and unpaid subsidies, the sector is in freefall. After a general assembly of the Heraklion Livestock Association earlier this week, farmer representatives announced that September will mark the start of coordinated protests.
“The jokes are over,” they warned, adding that the only option left is to “fight by every means” for survival.
The words of Giannis Orfanos, president of the Lassithi Plateau Livestock Association, captured the desperation:
“We will die. And our animals will die. And this is not an exaggeration—it is the reality we live.”
The depth of the crisis has forced many to consider abandoning the profession altogether. Farmers say the system has left them trapped: unpaid for promised subsidies, stripped of grazing land, and unable to cover the rising costs of feed and care.
Empty Promises and Unpaid Bills
For Lefteris Triantafyllakis, president of the Heraklion Livestock Association, the breaking point has been reached:
“We are not asking for charity, we are asking for the obvious.”
Triantafyllakis accused the government of punishing the sector for the OPEKEPE subsidy scandal, in which a small group of fraudsters secured inflated payments:
“It is not possible for one small group of people to make the entire sector pay the price. We will not allow them to do this.”
He also denounced the long delays in subsidy payments and the repeated government assurances that never materialized.
“And what little we were getting, they cut it too,” he said.
The anxiety now turns to October’s payments, which farmers expect to be disastrous. Already, they note that 30% of the subsidies for Organic Farming remain unpaid, while funds for the “Amalthea” program and de minimis support are still pending.
“Every day the sector shrinks,” Triantafyllakis warned.
“People are leaving the profession daily. How can they cope? Even the milkmen and the feed traders no longer give us credit, because everything is uncertain! This year we will not even produce half of last year’s output.”
Land Lost, Prices Crushed
Adding to the pressure is the loss of 4.4 million stremmas of grazing land under new forest maps, which has left farmers without access to the very pastures that sustain their herds. Combined with the collapse of milk prices, the result is what farmers call “economic asphyxiation.”
For Apostolos Voulgarakis, president of TOEB Varypetrou, the situation is unprecedented:
“The flow from the Kolymba spring is now insufficient to meet needs. To give an example: according to models, irrigation needs for our area in August are 1.5 million cubic meters. Today we have consumption of just 700,000. Anyone can see what that means. And it is absurd for someone who has a field 100 meters from a well pumping 1,000 cubic meters to watch his crops dry up.”
September on the Streets
The message from farmers is clear: if the state does not act, Crete will speak through protest. A large island-wide demonstration is already being planned, pending decisions from livestock associations in Rethymno. Local protests, road blockades, and even a march on Athens are also on the table.
Triantafyllakis left no doubt:
“We will take this to the end. We will go wherever necessary until our demands are heard.”
Impact Beyond the Farm
Though the struggle may appear confined to farmers and their herds, the consequences ripple outward. Livestock is the backbone of Crete’s famed cheeses, yogurts, and meats. If production collapses, so will availability and affordability. Visitors seeking authentic flavors may soon face higher prices, reduced quality, and a dwindling supply.
Crete’s livestock crisis is not just about subsidies and pastures—it is about what ends up on your table.
- Cheese: Less milk means less mizithra, anthotyro, and graviera. Prices climb, availability drops.
- Yogurt: The creamy local staple risks thinning out—literally and figuratively.
- Meat: Lamb and goat, central to Cretan cuisine, could become scarcer and more expensive.
- Pairings at risk: Even the island’s famed food-and-wine pairings lose their shine if the essentials are out of reach.
For tourists, this means fewer authentic flavors and higher bills. For Crete, it means a cultural identity—its food—at stake.
As one union leader put it, the survival of Crete’s livestock sector is not simply a farmers’ issue—it is the survival of “the real core of the local economy.” For residents and tourists alike, the fate of Cretan produce now depends on whether September’s protests can force change.
