Farmers in Greece have staged fresh anti-government protests.

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Farmers have blocked the motorway between Athens and Thessaloniki over the past month in protest against rising taxes, production costs and the government's ongoing austerity package. Despite assurances from the Greek government that farmers would be compensated for the ravages of recent bad weather in Greece, hundreds drove tractors, some flying Greek flags, others black flags, to block off main roads.

On Wednesday, the farmers took their grievances to the ministry of agriculture offices in Athens. 4,000 farmers and their supporters from around the country assembled outside the ministry, before marching on Parliament. Small scuffles broke out between farmers and riot police, according to Greek news reports.

The Greek press stated that mostly left-affiliated groups supported the protest, and key members of the farmers' protest movement said in speeches outside Parliament that the focus of recent protest action was on small farms "struggling for survival."

Since 2010, the Greek government has been obliged to pursue a series of spending cuts and economic reforms in exchange for rescue loans from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF). This has led to higher unemployment and reductions in wages and pensions. The government has recently cracked down on farmers' declared taxes and begun tacking land in an effort to curb tax evasion.

The farmers, however, claim that they have been made scapegoats by media and politicians. One farmer told Reuters, "They want to tax our land… where we have buried the bones of our ancestors, who made 400 years of sacrifices to create a modern nation. In just four years the government has destroyed this with bail-outs and handed it over to our profiteering European Union partners."   

The protests come a year after similar large demonstrations and blockades of roads led to clashes between farmers and police, who used tear gas and baton charges against the protestors. In February 2013, farmers repeatedly blocked main roads in Greece, initially in protest against austerity measures and in solidarity with striking sailors. During the blockades and protests outside government buildings, farmers offered free produce by way of compensation to drivers and locals affected by their demonstrations.  

Farmers have promised further action unless the government heeds a series of demands, which were delivered to Greek parliament leader Evangelos Meimarakis in his absence on Wednesday.