Shocking figures from the audits conducted so far. Only 20% of the units inspected are clean, while 60% either had no animals at all or… vanished.
Shocking are the data from an extraordinary sample audit currently being conducted, according to information, by AADE with geotechnicians from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and ELGO Dimitra.
Shocking findings
Among the holdings inspected until yesterday, 60% did not have a single animal or failed to appear (!), while in 20% major discrepancies were observed, and only 20% were found clean, with their animals correctly declared. It is striking that even in audit cases involving mixed crops and livestock—where the number of animals is small—40% declare false data or own no livestock at all.
Audit data and comparisons
Inspectors from the Ministry of Rural Development and ELGO Dimitra are inspecting around 330 animals daily, in contrast to the "heavy artillery" of OPEKEPE, who inspected thousands, but, as it appears, were actually conducting no audits and were covering up for fraudsters. The audit in the regional unit of Chania is expected to continue in the coming days and, given the high rate of fraud detected by inspectors in the audited sample, an increase in the sample size is anticipated.
Findings in Zoniana
The Chania case comes a few weeks after the shock in Zoniana, where an unannounced inspection was also carried out; out of 195 livestock farmers summoned, 75 appeared for audit—meaning 40% of the sample—and among those who appeared, 22 were found with violations.
In other words, out of the 195, only 53 livestock farmers were found clean, representing 27% of the sample. It appears, however, that the situation in Zoniana also exists in Chania, where declarations were overwhelmingly fabricated out of thin air. It is noted that these audits fall under the targets of the Hellenic Republic's Action Plan agreed with the European Commission.
Sanctions
Farmers who fail to appear for the audit:
• Lose subsidies for the 2025 application year and will be re-audited in 2026.
• Provided that subsidy payments for 2025 have already been paid based on livestock eligibility criteria, the amounts are considered unduly paid and are immediately recovered.
• Will not receive redistributive support in subsequent years through the end of the programming period.
Proven corruption
The audit data serve to demonstrate the systemic corruption that prevailed for years at OPEKEPE, where audits were omitted and fraudsters were regularly paid. The paradox is that, while AADE is uncovering these facts, key positions continue to be assigned to individuals who, intentionally or unintentionally, are part of the scandal. In any case, the inspection findings raise serious issues regarding the number of rights held by fraudsters. It remains to be seen how these rights will be returned to where they belong—to genuine farmers.
www.bankingnews.gr
Readers’ Comments