More cases of African swine fever in eastern Croatia

Two new cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in the municipality of Jagodnjak in Osijek-Baranja County. 

Since the beginning of this month, the disease has been confirmed at ten pig farms in Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja counties. The disease, which is harmless to humans, has spread, among other things, due to wild boars.

Since the beginning of the year, 1,365 domesticated pigs have been euthanized in Vukovar-Srijem County Civil alone. For this reason, the county's Civil Protection Directorate has ordered the culling of wild pig populations in order to eliminate the threat of the virus spreading to more farms.

The head of the local Civil Protection Directorate, Darko Dimić, said they were trying to avoid a major outbreak like they saw back in 2023.

"In that way we will be sure to reduce the infected material which is present in our forests and in our fields; especially now around the time of the harvest when that material is brought directly in to our farms. We must be very diligent in implementing disinfection measures," said Dimić.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated they would support hunting associations by paying 80 euros per wild boar. Furthermore, if the meat is deemed safe, it can be consumed.