Like many of their European counterparts, farmers in Greece are demanding their government do more to improve their working conditions.
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00:00 Thousands of farmers from across Greece descended on Athens' central square on Tuesday, parking
00:05 tractors in front of parliament in their biggest protests yet over rising costs.
00:11 Police estimate at least 8,000 farmers with 130 tractors joined the protests on Syntagma
00:16 Square, echoing grievances at similar demonstrations across Europe.
00:20 "Nothing will happen.
00:22 Nothing will happen.
00:23 So, from now on, I wish tractors would stay here for another two days, so they can be
00:29 used for the most part."
00:30 "I believe that the issue is purely Greek, European.
00:34 Who can give the solution to the reality?"
00:36 "First, it's European.
00:37 But here in Greece, this situation has been going on for years.
00:40 It didn't happen now.
00:41 Every year we have the same.
00:42 They treat us like a foreign party and we continue to do a little bit backwards."
00:47 "The agriculture is not going any further.
00:49 It cannot stand.
00:50 The agricultural sector must be supported.
00:52 And above all, the government cannot give money to the farmers, it cannot give money
00:59 to the canals, and it cannot send so much money to Ukraine.
01:04 Something must be done for the farmers.
01:07 It is necessary.
01:08 We cannot stand any more."
01:10 Farmers stress that the primary sector is the base of everything in modern society,
01:14 and that the new European policies put in place just aren't enough to improve their
01:18 conditions.
01:19 "It is very important that for the first time we reached the Prime Minister's office
01:23 on this issue.
01:24 So it is in the hands of the whole agricultural sector of our country.
01:27 It can really be a tool of pressure, because as we saw, the new CUP has not gone the right
01:32 way.
01:33 A lot of money was taken from the farmers, and we really hope that solutions will be
01:38 found, immediate and long-term."
01:42 Greek farmers plan to continue blockades of roads and highways, with assemblies having
01:46 the final say on what happens next with the protests.
01:50 "These tractors are the life of the farmers.
01:53 They are their whole life.
01:55 They say they brought them to Athens, and this movement is just the beginning to win
02:00 their survival.
02:01 They stress that the problem of the farmers may be European, but it is, as they say,
02:06 mainly Greek.
02:07 And they call for Kyriakos Mitsotakis to give a solution to their problem yesterday.
02:13 From Athens, for Giro News, Giannis Karagiorgas."
02:16 good of us.