'Even goats are put on auction': Farmers face growing debt crisis, MP warns

The year 2025 saw a significant rise in agricultural debt in Turkey, leading to the seizure of farmers' assets including livestock, according MP Ömer Fethi Gürer, a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs.

The sector’s total debt has reached 935.9 billion liras (~250 million US dollars) in what Gürer describes as "the highest in history."

Over 2.68 million debt enforcement files were opened in the first three months of 2025 alone, with the number of ongoing enforcement cases at bailiff offices reaching 23 million, according to data cited by Gürer. These figures suggest that many farmers are facing multiple cases, given that the number of registered farmers in the country stands at around 2.1 million, which has been on the decline in recent years, according to official data.

Farmers are increasingly facing asset seizures as a result of the debt enforcement cases. Gürer reported that in the first three months of 2025 alone, 111 tractors and 2,937 plots of land were listed for sale by bailiff offices and civil courts.

“Now even the animals in barns and pens are being seized,” Gürer said, pointing to a case in Tekirdağ, northwestern Turkey, where a livestock farmer’s goats and kids were put up for sale due to unpaid debts. The Çerkezköy Bailiff Office initiated the auction process for 33 Maltese hybrid nanny goats and 30 kids. The auction is set to begin on Apr 9 and conclude on Apr 16.

“When citizens can’t pay their debts, whatever they have left is being taken away,” Gürer said. “Farmers’ tractors, land, and livestock should not be subject to seizure. Instead of standing by, the government must support those still working in agriculture. Agriculture is a strategic sector. Without food, there is no life. Those who produce food must be protected.”

He added that misguided agricultural policies have led to rural depopulation, with young people avoiding farming. “Those who continue are not profiting from what they produce. They work for middlemen. Meanwhile, the import lobby undermines local and national production."

Despite that, the government is failing to take action accordin to the MP. “It’s not solving problems, it’s watching,” he said.

'Cattle seizures are illegal'

Gürer described the current situation as "symptomatic of wider issues" in Turkey’s livestock industry. He recalled personally witnessing a case in Altunhisar where a farmer lost all his sheep due to debt.

“Many small, family-run farms are now empty. This time, even the remaining animals are being seized. High barn maintenance costs, feed expenses, and medical needs are making livestock farming unsustainable,” he said. “If income and expenses were balanced, it could be viable but without that balance, debt keeps growing and enforcement officers show up at the door.”

Gürer further said that the seizure of livestock animals is not legal, citing article 82 of Turkey’s Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, which states that land, work animals, and equipment necessary for a farmer's livelihood, as well as animals and feed essential for subsistence.

Despite this provision, such protections are not being upheld, Gürer said, adding, “Producers are unable to withstand soaring costs. We are witnessing the consequences of the government’s agricultural policies every day. Farmers who can’t repay their debts are seeing their animals, fields, and tractors seized. The agricultural sector is being strangled.” (HA/VK)