Bulgarian farmers protest unpaid subsidies

14/08/2008

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Hundreds of farmers from all over Bulgaria staged a rally in front of the agriculture ministry in Sofia on Wednesday (August 13th), threatening to move their cattle to neighbouring Greece unless the government pays long-overdue milk subsidies. The rally was the culmination of weeklong protests in many parts of the country that included spilling milk in the streets and blocking roads. Protesters say they have shifted 2,000 sheep and 150 cows to the border with Greece and will join Bulgarian-Greek unions to breed the cattle if necessary. They also demanded the resignation of Agriculture Minister Valeri Tsvetanov. (Reuters, BGNES, Netinfo, BTA, Focus, IPS - 13/08/08)