If there were a Nobel Prize for ingenuity in fraud, Greece—and Crete in particular—would have already won it. According to data revealed by the newspaper “New Crete”, the island is experiencing a «surge» in the number of sheep and goats that defies all logic and geographical possibility. From 2020 to the present, their number has skyrocketed from 2.2 million to 7.8 million (!), that is, almost the 45% for the entire country.
The best part? To justify the subsidies, Each animal must have 2.1 stremmata of pasture land. So, Crete would need 16.4 million stremmas of land - i.e. twice its area. It's that simple.
The numbers don't add up, but the subsidies were paid out as usual
Based on the actual data, Crete has only 2.36 million stremmata of pastureland. And yet, for years, the government—through OPEKEPE—distributed billions of euros to “beneficiaries”. Not with real facts, but with… blessed inaccuracies.
They even used land in other areas – such as Grammos in Western Macedonia – to «artificially» meet the needs of the Cretan livestock industry. Ministerial decisions, such as the one issued by Makis Voridis in 2019, they legitimized the lie.
900,000 beneficiaries – 310,000 tax returns
According to official data from OPEKEPE, subsidies are provided each year to 900,000 farmers, while the AADE reports only 310,000 actual producers. This staggering discrepancy didn't bother anyone for more than five years. Not a single audit, not a single internal investigation, not even the slightest resignation.
The “opportunists” get paid, while honest farmers are being squeezed dry
At a time when real farmers and ranchers are facing strict inspections, a shortage of resources, and uncertainty about the future, a mafia of «phantom» farms has set up making money using lies as the only tool.
European funds are being squandered, communities are falling apart, honest people are being deceived, and the Ministry of Rural Development… just sighs at the numbers.
Someone tell the truth
This scandal It is not a bureaucratic error. It is a political choice. It is the result of institutional tolerance and a blatant cover-up. The oversight mechanisms are in place. It's just that were not used.
The world of the countryside, the islands, and the remote regions, He can't take the mockery anymore. Anyone who thinks this is just a local issue in Crete is simply He doesn't realize where he lives.
The time has come responsibilities must be identified and assigned. And not just the «ghosts» of the pastures. But to those who signed, facilitated, and protected.
