Vlajčić Rejects Euthanasia for Small Farmers, Gives 10 Days to Save Pigs
Agriculture Minister Announces Interventions in Four Municipalities and Deployment of Hunters as Pressure Mounts Over African Swine Fever.
Agriculture Minister Announces Interventions in Four Municipalities and Deployment of Hunters as Pressure Mounts Over African Swine Fever.
Agriculture Minister David Vlajčić has rejected the proposal by the National Crisis Headquarters for African Swine Fever Control to euthanize pigs on all farms with fewer than 1,000 animals in outbreak hotspots. At a press conference in Osijek on August 4, 2026, he stated that he wants to protect small producers and traditional farming, but simultaneously announced new, stricter measures to combat the epidemic spreading through Slavonian counties.
Vlajčić ordered an urgent intervention by teams of veterinary inspectors and veterinarians, with logistical support from the Civil Protection Directorate and the Ministry of the Interior, in the municipalities of Draž and Đurđenovac in Osijek-Baranja County, and Zdenci and Crnac in Virovitica-Podravina County. "This involves a total of about four hundred pigs registered on the farms that remain there," the minister said.
Although he believes that pig farmers have already been given enough time to adapt, owners will be granted an additional 10-day period to comply with the prescribed biosecurity measures. "This means that on the three hundred farms in that second ring, if any non-compliance is found, they will be given 10 days to implement the necessary protective measures, to be ready for a potential outbreak and thus avoid the removal of pigs," Vlajčić explained.
The minister emphasized that this is the last chance for producers. "If, after eight years of education, three years of warnings, and the additional 10-day period I have just announced, they do not comply with the rules, unfortunately, they will leave us no choice, and we will have to proceed with the removal of pigs," he warned. By August 12, 2026, veterinary inspectors should complete all inspections, and the deadline for compliance begins from the day the inspection is carried out.
Owners will be entitled to full compensation based on the market value of the pigs, for which funds have been secured, according to the minister. After these four municipalities, the next step involves the 300 most vulnerable farms near existing hotspots, where surveillance will be intensified.
According to data reported by Dnevno.hr, the situation is most critical in Vukovar-Srijem, Virovitica-Podravina, and Osijek-Baranja counties. According to Vlajčić, Croatia has 70,000 hunters, and at least half of them could be mobilized for a complete cull of wild boar, which are the main carriers of the disease.
The problem does not only come from the fields but also across the border. According to data from the Customs Administration, by the beginning of the year, 508 shipments had been stopped at the Croatian border. Trucks carrying about four tons of pork products were stopped from Romania and Serbia, which are among the most critical countries. Among the five countries from which customs officials most frequently seized prohibited shipments are also Kosovo, Turkey, and Albania.
"Based on feedback from the field, I think people have become serious," the minister said, adding that "waiting definitely does not save pigs in those areas."
