As Europe’s farmers find common cause in grievances, governments race to offer concessions

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and COSTAS KANTOURIS
Associated Press

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greece’s annual Agrotica trade fair traditionally gives farmers a chance see the latest equipment and agricultural innovations. On Friday, the event became a focal point for their long-standing frustrations. Tractors lined up around the conference center hosting the fair in the northern city of Thessaloniki to underline their determination to escalate protests over rising production costs by blocking highways. Similar protests have swept Europe as farmers on the continent take their grievances over inflation, foreign competition and the costs of combating climate change to the streets. National leaders are racing to offer financial concessions in the months before elections for the European Union parliament in June.