Agriculture Minister David Vlajcic stressed that the country is confronting its largest outbreak to date. The virus has also been detected in Osijek's suburb of Nemetin, where 1,600 pigs have been affected.

 

The minister stated that the spread of the disease is solely due to human factors—irresponsibility and illegal activities—making people the primary source of transmission.

 

Vlajcic noted that since 2023, Croatia has had to cull 41,000 pigs due to ASF, with over 51,000 more set to be eliminated in the current outbreak—amounting to roughly five percent of the nation's pig population, he emphasised.

 

He cautioned that 67% of Croatia's pigs are raised on just 1.5% of farms, meaning the current 5% decline could escalate to as much as 75% if the disease spreads to larger operations. "Without decisive action, we risk isolation within the EU, which would inflict unpredictable damage on Croatian pig farming," he warned.