Vasilis Kokkalis, the Shadow Minister for Rural Development and Food and a member of the Greek Parliament from the SYRIZA Progressive Alliance, has revealed that around 29,000 individuals have received rights, grazing land, and subsidies from the OPEKEPE without having delivered any milk or meat. This claim is based on a document he received after filing a relevant request through the investigatory process. Kokkalis discussed this issue in an interview with the TV station ANT1, criticizing the government for failing to address the problem despite previous assurances about reforming the system.

Kokkalis pointed out that the government had promised a reformation of the subsidy system at the end of November, claiming it would eliminate the so-called “technical solution” that has led to distortions. However, he argued that instead of legitimate reforms, the current system legitimizes the existence of a non-existent livestock capital. He expressed concern about the implications of such false claims of livestock production, questioning what other forms of livestock production could be validated apart from milk and meat, which he suggests is only realistically produced by a limited number of units within Greece.

In his critique, Kokkalis made a provocative analogy, suggesting that if the actual number of breeding units were 29,000, Greece would be comparable to New Zealand in terms of its livestock production capabilities. This statement serves to emphasize the absurdity of the situation and highlights the need for genuine reforms in the agricultural subsidy system to ensure that public funds are used effectively and that real agricultural activities are being funded, rather than what he describes as a fraudulent system that rewards non-existent farmers.