Impact of Greece’s bailout on agriculture

Jul 23, 2015

Could cost €2 billion per year

The Pan-Hellenic Confederation of Unions of Agricultural Cooperatives (PASEGES) estimates that Greece’s bailout could cost the country’s agricultural sector around €2 billion ($2.25 billion USD) per year.

There are many ways Greek farmers could be impacted, including:

Direct taxation of all subsidies which cancels the current exemption for incomes under €12,000 ($13,193 USD)
The current tax rate will increase from 13% to 26%, resulting in farmers paying approximately €200 million ($219,985,700 USD) more than before
Farmers could lose a fuel tax benefit valued at €183 million ($201,309,058 USD)
Farmer insurance costs could go up by €1 billion ($1.1 billion) per year
The value added tax for agricultural supplies could increase from 13% to 26%, accounting for another €283 million ($311,636,897 USD) in costs

Eurozone and Greece

“Measures required by our country’s bailout agreement with the creditors are very harsh and will overwhelm Greek farmers,” PASEGES President Tzanetos Karamihas said in a press release on Monday, July 13^th. “The Greek agricultural sector needs political stability at this moment and a new production reform and strategic plan.”

It was also on July 13^th that leaders of the Eurozone reached an agreement on an €86 billion ($94,647,284, 627 USD) bailout, the third one aimed at saving Greece from bankruptcy.

Canada’s Top 5 Agricultural Exports to Greece (2010)

Raw mink ($15.1 million)
Lentils ($7.9 million)
Beans, dried ($5.1 million)
Pet food (dog/cat) ($1.5 million)
Wheat or meslin flour ($910,135)

Canada’s Top 5 Agricultural Imports from Greece (2010)

Olive oil, virgin ($10.7 million)
Olives, prepared and preserved ($9.1 million)
Olives provisionally preserved ($6.8 million)
Cheese ($6.3 million)
Fruits/vegetables/nuts ($4.1 million)

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.