March 2, 2026

 

Protests launched against mega poultry farm project in Sisak-Moslavina, Croatia

 

Thousands of people protested against a poultry mega-farm project in Croatia's Sisak-Moslavina region, warning it would bring health and environmental devastation to local communities.

 

The project envisions nearly 20 industrial sites in areas adjacent to nature parks and regions affected by deindustrialisation. For months, a coalition of local initiatives and climate justice groups has contested the plan, while national authorities have evaded calls for action.

 

The plan is associated with Ukrainian businessmen Andriy Matiukha and Yuriy Kosiuk, whose existing endeavors have impacted the European poultry market and been linked to environmental destruction in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region. The two have found what they consider ideal spots for building operations near Sisak, formerly one of Yugoslavia's industrial heartlands.

 

Reports warn that the aim of the project is to build capacities producing at least 150,000 tonnes of chicken meat annually, primarily for export. In comparison, Croatian poultry farmers produce about 75,000 tonnes annually, covering three-quarters of national needs.

 

Campaigners emphasise the implementation of the project would thus only worsen the situation, undermining local food production and livelihoods. "This is a total change of concept – existing production, relying on domestic subcontractors, mostly small family farms, would be replaced by megalomaniac plants belonging to foreign investors, which can, without exaggeration, be described as an industry of death," said Dora Sivka, from Green Action – Friends of the Earth Croatia, at the protest.

 

Residents affected by the plans are concerned about the amount of energy and water the industrial sites would require, surpassing the consumption of nearby communities and threatening riverflows. Some towns and villages on the investors' map lack adequate public infrastructure, raising questions about the disposal of wastewater and farm by-product. There has also been no clarification on how continuous exposure would impact public health.

 

Over 120 organisations supported the most recent protest against the mega-farm project in Zagreb on February 21, but the government has yet to provide concrete answers to the initiative's demands.

 

Criticism was also voiced regarding claims that the project would create new jobs. Participants at the protest emphasised that employers will rely on migrant workers to keep the farms running.

 

In addition to regional concerns, local groups and campaigners warn that if implemented, the project would only open the door to more export-oriented ventures, effectively transforming the whole country into an extractive colony for foreign businesses.

 

- Peoples Dispatch