Croatia faces its largest outbreak of African Swine Fever

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Croatia, David Vlajčić, warned that the spread of the disease "is solely due to human factors, irresponsibility, and illegal activities," and alerted that if it reaches larger facilities it could affect 75% of the national herd. On September 22, two new outbreaks were also confirmed in the settlement of Sveti Đurađ (Donji Miholjac, Osijek-Baranja), in a facility with about 20 pigs. The area was already under strict animal and animal product movement control measures. Strengthened surveillance and control Currently, Croatia has lost more than 41,000 pigs to ASF since 2023. With ongoing sacrifices in Sokolovac and Nemetin, the figure will exceed 50,000 animals, which is equivalent to 5% of the country's total pig herd. The authorities have deployed an exceptional device: police checks in the counties of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem, 24-hour surveillance in 54 large farms ...