"There is no question that together with my colleague, the Minister of Agriculture, I can speak to farmers but I personally cannot accept the way farmers are showing their dissatisfaction by blocking roads just because they say someone has promised them something", said Linic, who was attending a meeting of European Union finance ministers.

"I know that the deadline for incentives to be paid out is the end of June and there won't be any problems with this. In a way, it's not a problem to facilitate faster payments and the Agriculture Minister has discussed this several times in the Finance Ministry. There isn't any problem in this but this sort of behaviour makes us question whether this is a political game. I know that times are hard but no-one is making any promises. We will try and pay out incentives as soon as we can but we cannot accept ultimatums given in the street, that is no way to communicate", said Linic.

Disgruntled farmers continued their protest rally which started on Monday in Ferovac on the Pozega-Nasice road and at the Ludbreg ring-road.

Farmers are demanding that half the amount of incentives be paid out this week and the remainder by 15 March. They are also seeking amendments to farmland legislation so that "big players" are not favoured over family farms with regard to leases of state owned property, and are demanding a solution to problems that have piled up in the production and processing of milk.

Protestors want to meet with Premier Zoran Milanovic and Minister Linic.

Agriculture Minister Tihomir Jakovina has repeated several times over the past few days that the protests were unnecessary and that incentive payments started in January and would continue according to availability in the budget and that this would certainly be before the date stipulated in legislation so that farmers could begin sowing.