On Friday, December 12, 2025, Greek farmers and livestock breeders intensified their ongoing nationwide protests by staging a symbolic blockade at the main passenger gate of Thessaloniki Port, the country's second-largest port and a key hub for passenger and commercial traffic in northern Greece. Hundreds of protesters converged on the site with dozens of tractors, agricultural vehicles, and tour buses, blaring horns, waving black flags, and displaying symbolic coffins to underscore their grievances over delayed state and EU aid payments and soaring production costs.
The convoy assembled from various blockades in northern Greece, including Halkidona (about 37 km from Thessaloniki) and Prasina Fanaria (roughly 35 km away). Farmers from Halkidona departed early, joining colleagues at the Malgara toll station before marching motorized into the city center and toward the port shortly after 11:30 a.m. A strong police presence was deployed to monitor the demonstration and prevent entry into the port facilities, ensuring operations continued without full disruption. The protest lasted approximately three hours, described as symbolic, with tractors parked outside the main gate along streets like Kountouriotou and Salaminos.
This action in Thessaloniki marked a escalation in a wave of protests that have gripped Greece since late November 2025, involving thousands of tractors at dozens of roadblocks across the country. Farmers are demanding prompt payment of delayed subsidies—estimated at over €600 million shortfall due to a corruption probe into the state agency OPEKEPE—and measures to curb high energy, fuel, and input costs amid broader economic pressures on the agricultural sector.
Parallel actions occurred elsewhere on the same day. In Larissa, a central agricultural region in Thessaly, farmers from the major Nikaia blockade arrived in the city center in the evening with a symbolic number of tractors. They deposited bales of hay at the entrances to the offices of local New Democracy lawmakers, including those of parliamentary secretary Maximos Charakopoulos and Rural Development Deputy Minister Dionysis Stamenitis. Protesters declared they would refuse dialogue with the government unless concrete commitments are made to address production costs, chanting slogans like "We won't eat hay; we want solutions." This symbolic gesture highlighted frustration with perceived inadequate government responses.
The protests stem from multiple issues. Many farmers, particularly livestock breeders, received reduced or zero advance payments for 2025 EU basic aid due to the abolition of a temporary "technical solution" for pastureland declarations and ongoing investigations into subsidy fraud. Compounding this are lingering effects from devastating 2023 floods in Thessaly, high electricity and diesel prices, and competition from cheap imports. Protesters have intermittently blocked major highways (such as Athens-Thessaloniki and Egnatia Odos), border crossings (e.g., Promachonas with Bulgaria), customs offices, and even attempted disruptions at airports and other ports earlier in the week, including Volos on December 10.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, addressing parliament on Friday, invited a farmers' delegation to talks at Maximos Mansion the following Monday, emphasizing that this year's primary sector funding reached €3.8 billion, up from €3.2 billion previously. He urged protesters to consider societal impacts and halt blockades during discussions, while criticizing disruptions as costly to the public.
However, farmers remain resolute. Local assemblies continue daily at blockade sites, with a crucial nationwide meeting of blockade representatives scheduled for noon on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at the Nikaia site near Larissa—one of the largest blockades with over 4,000 tractors reported earlier in the protests. This panhellenic coordination assembly is expected to decide on next steps, including whether to appoint a delegation for government talks, potential escalation (such as longer blockades or targeting more infrastructure), or conditions for dialogue.
Public support varies, with labor unions, students, and local councils expressing solidarity, while disruptions have caused significant traffic delays, stranded trucks at borders, and warnings from authorities about transportation safety. Earlier clashes with police, including tear gas use near Thessaloniki Airport on December 5 and arrests in Larissa, have heightened tensions, though Friday's actions remained largely peaceful.
As of December 13, 2025, blockades persist at over 100 points nationwide, effectively "cutting Greece in two" at key junctions like Nikaia. Farmers vow to continue until demands are met, signaling potential prolonged disruptions into the holiday season if no breakthrough occurs.
