(MENAFN) Violent confrontations erupted Sunday between agricultural workers and law enforcement authorities in Greece's Thessaly region as producers demanded overdue financial relief, media reported.

Demonstrators attempting to establish a tractor barricade along a major thoroughfare encountered heavy resistance from anti-riot units stationed near Larissa, the central Greek city. Authorities deployed tear gas to disperse crowds as participants sought to expand their roadway occupation.

In a separate incident, agricultural workers from Karditsa successfully penetrated security cordons to access the E65 highway, defying police attempts to contain the mobilization.

The agricultural sector is preparing to intensify its campaign of action, citing escalating operational expenses, outstanding governmental payments, and systemic dysfunction within OPEKEPE, the state-run agricultural disbursement agency.

Last June, Brussels imposed a €392.2 million penalty (roughly $453.4 million) on Athens following revelations of widespread subsidy fraud schemes traced to 2016.

The European Commission's sanctions resulted from critical supervisory breakdowns at OPEKEPE, which ceased operations in May after investigators uncovered systematic abuse involving fabricated grazing lands and fraudulent farming operations.

MENAFN01122025000045017169ID1110417781