Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic said in an interview with Croatian Radio on Wednesday that strict regulations had to be followed in combating African Swine Fever (ASF) and that demands that did not contribute to the prevention of the disease could not be met.

“We must comply with the rules. In the current situation, when there is an economically difficult disease that spreads easily, with the current breeding conditions and the situation in the neighbourhood, in addition to complying with the existing regulations, we must make additional decisions to curb the disease and help the pig farming sector recover,” she said, adding that the government’s measures were “saving the Croatian pig farming sector.”

Demands that do not contribute to curbing the disease or are not in line with the regulations cannot be accepted, she said, adding that it was possible to prove that the government’s response to the outbreak of the disease was timely.

As regards traditional pig farming, the minister said that efforts were being made to preserve it.

The state has paid pig farmers €7 million in compensation so far and around 27,000 pigs have been euthanised, she said.

The team for the defence of Croatian farmers and the Slavonia and Baranja Union of Agricultural Sector Employees have announced protests for today, dissatisfied with the measures taken by the government to combat ASF.

They call for an immediate stop to pig euthanasia and the urgent adoption of a law to enable trade in healthy pigs, as well as for enabling traditional pig slaughtering.