Alexis Tsipras met with livestock farmers from Lesvos and representatives of agricultural coordinating bodies at the Municipal Council Hall of West Lesvos in Kalloni.
First Visit After New Party Launch
This was Tsipras’s first visit to Lesvos since founding his new political party, EL.A.S. (Hellenic Agricultural Solidarity). He stated that the main purpose was to listen directly to farmers facing what he described as “existential challenges.”
A National Priority
“Keeping primary production alive is a national issue—and a patriotic responsibility,” Tsipras said. He criticized the government’s handling of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on the island, questioning why mandatory EU-compliant vaccination had not been carried out. “I cannot understand why vaccination wasn’t implemented—why EU rules were ignored,” he remarked.
He stressed that compensation must cover not only slaughtered animals but also spoiled animal feed and the broader issue of sectoral recovery. “If we want to retain both production and livestock farmers, the terms of reconstruction must change,” he added.
Criticism of Government Response
Tsipras called the situation on Lesvos “absurd,” describing the government’s response as evidence of both incompetence and negligence. He alleged that authorities rejected vaccination because it would have required registering sheep and goats—exposing inflated subsidy claims. “Half of the registered beneficiaries don’t actually produce anything,” he explained. “Out of 82,000 listed producers, only half are actively farming—while the rest hold land without production.”
He placed direct responsibility on the Mitsotakis administration, saying the crisis was not long-standing but deliberately created. He also expressed pessimism about upcoming EU budget negotiations, citing “very negative signals” from European institutions regarding next year’s draft budget.
Policy Proposals from EL.A.S.
Thomas Moschos, EL.A.S.’s spokesperson for Agricultural Development, outlined key proposals: establishing an Agricultural Chamber, creating a National Council for Agricultural Production, relocating the Ministry of Rural Development and Food to either Larissa or Thessaloniki, setting up a Convergence Fund to support primary and secondary sectors, and linking agricultural subsidies directly to verified production—not just land ownership.
Farmers’ Fears
Themis Kamménos, Secretary of the Primary Sector Network and member of the Coordinating Body of Agricultural Organizations, described the devastating impact of the outbreak on local livestock farming—and the deep anxiety among producers. “We found ourselves exposed and defenseless in this storm,” he said. “We fear ending up in the abyss—alongside our animals.”