Hundreds of farmers blocked parts of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway to protest against payment delays.
Greek farmers have clashed with police during protests in central and northern regions over delayed payments of EU subsidies.
Police used tear gas on Sunday as farmers brought hundreds of tractors to block the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway near the central city of Larissa.
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Officers made three arrests, but the farmers managed to close the highway ahead of additional protests planned for next week, police said.
“We will stay here until (the government) gives a solution,” local agricultural trade unionist Costas Tzelas told reporters.
The delay in payments comes amid an investigation into a scandal in which some farmers allegedly falsified ownership of land and livestock to receive EU agricultural subsidies.
Greek authorities say fraudsters made false claims for Common Agricultural Policy subsidies worth more than 30 million euros ($35m).
Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Christos Kelas told ERT public broadcaster on Sunday that farmers have received less EU subsidies because investigations into fraudulent claims are still ongoing.
“They got 100 million euros ($116m) less at this stage,” he said. “Following the appeal, those who are entitled to the money will receive it.”
Greek authorities have launched separate investigations, and parliament is investigating OPEKEPE, the government agency that annually distributes about 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in EU aid to hundreds of thousands of farmers.
The scandal has already led to the resignation of one minister in the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ranchers are also demanding compensation after an outbreak of sheep-pox killed more than 400,000 sheep, all of whom were culled to stop the disease.
Authorities have resisted farmers’ demands to be allowed to vaccinate their herds, arguing there is no evidence the measure actually works.
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