Traffic toward Greece was brought to a standstill late this afternoon after Greek farmers pushed their protest convoys to the border approach, forcing a full shutdown of movement through the Kulata checkpoint. Long lines of cars and trucks quickly built up on the Bulgarian side, where police units redirected vehicles and warned drivers that crossing into Greece was impossible. One driver told BTA that officers had informed him the blockade was entirely due to the Greek farmers and that reopening the route was uncertain as demonstrations intensified near the frontier. Farmers from Serres had earlier broken through local police lines and continued toward the Promahon crossing point, where a complete halt of incoming traffic to Bulgaria was anticipated.

The protest wave across northern Greece has expanded quickly, with Greek public broadcaster ERT reporting that over 4,000 agricultural machines, including tractors and harvesters, are already positioned across the Thessaly region and are forming new blockades every day. Another closure was registered earlier near Trikala, adding to the growing list of disruptions.

Major transport routes remain obstructed. Sections of the Thessaloniki to Athens highway near Malgara and Larissa are shut, the E65 motorway near Karditsa is blocked, and the Egnatia route near Komotini is also closed. Numerous secondary roads are affected as well, with detour instructions issued for each. Authorities in Greece have also warned that the Evzoni crossing toward North Macedonia may again be sealed for an extended period.

Tensions flared in Larissa, where livestock farmers scattered milk, straw and corn outside the courthouse to show support for colleagues detained in clashes with police earlier in the week. The unrest has been driven by a mix of grievances, the most significant being delayed subsidies, mounting production expenses and the corruption affair within the OPEKEPE payment agency, which temporarily halted scheduled payouts. Farmers are calling for full and timely distribution of direct payments and frozen subsidies, urgent compensation for epidemic and disaster-related livestock losses, clear rules for energy, fuel and feed costs, and minimum guaranteed purchase prices that reflect real production expenses.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that his administration remains willing to hold talks but insisted that closing highways and border routes undermines public support and does not advance the farmers' demands. He acknowledged the dissatisfaction in the sector but noted that agricultural support this year amounts to around half a billion euros more than last year. Mitsotakis underlined that there is a clear distinction between farmers whose payments were delayed due to verification procedures and those who do not qualify for subsidies. According to him, the European Commission has already approved the payment process under the updated system, with the aim of distributing 1.2 billion euros by the end of December.

Meanwhile, another protest convoy was halted by police on the main route leading to Bulgaria, with the blockade positioned roughly 15 kilometers from the Promahon crossing in the Siderokastro area. Despite the roadblock, some farmers managed to bypass the closure via a highway detour and continued advancing toward the Greek-Bulgarian border.