Starting next week, payments from OPEKEPE will begin, as announced by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras. In radio interviews, the competent minister clarified that farmers have no reason to worry about subsidies, sent a message that “we will get the money back” from those who have received illegal subsidies, while also addressing compensation for foot-and-mouth disease and expenses for animal feed, emphasizing that they are the highest in Europe.
Tsiaras on OPEKEPE: There will be no disruption in the flow of aid from Europe
Mr. Tsiaras clarified that delays in certain payments are related to efforts to reform OPEKEPE. “To reform the Organization, procedures must be carried out that were not done in the past. There will be no disruption in the flow of aid from Europe,” he noted, adding that “from next week OPEKEPE will start paying -after necessary checks.”
Tsiaras: I remain amazed by the methods some used to obtain illegal subsidies
Regarding the checks, Kostas Tsiaras reminded that for two months now a special team has been operating with the participation of the financial police and AADE, all data has been collected, cross-checks are being conducted and dozens of cases have already been referred to the prosecutor. He even stated that “every time something new emerges, I remain amazed by the methods some used to obtain illegal subsidies,” emphasizing that the problem lies in a system “that supposedly ensured legality, but in reality allowed opportunists to take money they were not entitled to.”
On the issue of animal diseases, he explained that measures are not decided at national level, but are set by the EU: “Regarding animal diseases that can affect the total livestock of a country, there is a specific European directive that provides for the steps that must be taken. Just as with swine fever, so with foot-and-mouth disease, if there is even one case in a herd, the directive provides that all animals are slaughtered.” He acknowledged that this is “a very big blow to the livestock farmer,” but clarified that the implementation of measures is done through the Regions, with the Ministry providing guidelines.
“Greece provides the highest compensation in Europe for foot-and-mouth disease,” emphasizes Kostas Tsiaras
For foot-and-mouth disease compensation, he noted that “the compensation we give per slaughtered animal is 250 euros for purebreds and 220 euros for the rest, which is the vast majority. In no other European country is compensation given at this level. This is real economic relief for livestock farmers.” He explained, however, that the final amount of compensation depends on complete registration: “It’s different whether we’re talking about 500 or 1,500 animals. That’s why the situation needs to calm down first.”
For animal feed, he mentioned that “63 million euros have been approved by the Ministry of Finance for animals that were found in confinement or were slaughtered after a period of time. It is generous funding, with scaling from 6 to 14 euros per animal, depending on the duration of confinement.” He also pointed out that this money covers up to June.
Finally, he criticized the opposition and Alexis Tsipras: “Greek citizens remember very well what we experienced during the period 2015-2019. The country was a pariah of the EU, the banks were closed. Any comparison with today shows a completely different reality. In 2025, Greece has entered a pace of development and economic recovery, has a role in Europe and the world, is strengthening its defense and facing challenges.” As he admitted, “there is always fatigue in society,” but, as he said, “citizens have matured, they can judge and compare.”
