Heftige protesten in Griekenland vanwege EU-landbouwpolitiek (en)
Fresh skirmishes broke out in the Greek port town of Piraeus on Monday as 500 farmers who arrived from the Island of Crete protested against low produce prices.
Police fired tear gas and other chemicals to disperse the crowd in scenes that were televised across the country.
Greece's conservative government lead by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis i announced a €500m aid package for the farming sector last week, bringing to an end roadblocks that had caused travel chaos for 11 days.
The Cretan farmers are demanding that they receive the same support measures as those received by other farmers around the country.
"What is important is the dialogue, not to protest with tractors in the centre of the city," Reuters reports government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros as saying.
"The plan includes compensation for Crete's farmers and specifically olive oil producers."
Meanwhile, farming minister Sotiris Hatzigakis is in Brussels this week to seek approval for the aid package from agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer i.
He has said that in his opinion, the aid does not violate EU rules, as it will consist of a compensation scheme and not subsidies.
Last week Greece slashed its 2009 growth forecast to 1.1 percent and said its budget deficit would rise to 3.7 percent of GDP.
Greece's farming sector makes up only five per cent of the county's GDP, but comprises many small-scale farmers who rely on EU subsidies to survive.
The government is severely weakened after the police shooting of a youth last December resulted in some of the worst riots seen for decades.
This latest protest by Cretan farmers, who overwhelmingly support the opposition socialists, raises a fresh challenge for the governing New Democracy Party, which holds a one-seat overall majority in parliament.
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