The Croatian parliament on Thursday rejected an opposition motion to dismiss Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic over what the opposition described as an inappropriate response to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

The motion was filed by the Croatian Sovereignists group and it was supported by 39 MPs, who said that the measures being taken to combat ASF were destroying traditional pig farming in Croatia, affecting the eastern region of Slavonia the most.

They failed, however, to convince members of the parliamentary majority, who said that the motion was based on manipulation and disinformation and was unacceptable as such.

The opposition motion was supported by 49 MPs, 77 voted against and one abstained.

The vote was preceded by requests for breaks and breaches of the Standing Orders, with MPs of the parliamentary majority and the opposition trading accusations.

Most party MP Bozo Petrov said that agricultural production was recording a steady decline while imports were rising. “What does the Agriculture Ministry serve for?” he asked, warning that in addition to the collapsing pig farming, this year due to a lack of adequate action, 10 million kilograms of mandarins would have to be thrown away, with the damage amounting to a minimum 3.5 million euros.

Marijan Pavlicek (Croatian Sovereignists) recalled that 34,000 pigs have been euthanised, and that more than 50,000 healthy ones have been slaughtered in slaughterhouses at prices significantly below the market price.

“Retail chains, import lobbies and the meat industry are being favoured,” he said.

Davor Dretar (DP party) warned about the incidence of bird flu, wondering if poultry would now be euthanised as well.

Ruzica Vukovar (For a Just Croatia) said that during Vuckovic’s term, more than 7,000 family farms ceased to exist while 90,000 people emigrated from Slavonia.

Hrvoje Zekanovic (HDS) said that the Bridge party was behind activities by the team for the protection of Croatian farmers, accusing the party of manipulation and lies.

It’s not Bridge but the entire Slavonia that is behind the farmers’ protests, replied Most MP Nikola Grmoja, adding that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was now afraid and was therefore announcing the shortening of the ban on pig breeding from 12 to 6 months.

HDZ MP Josip Saric said that at the moment there was practically no ASF in Vukovar-Srijem County and that farmers in Slavonia were not alarmed or dissatisfied, accusing Bridge, the Croatian Sovereignists and the DP party of organising the protests and lying and manipulating, to which MP Vukovac replied that Saric “lives in the clouds, with a fat paycheck and a high wall around his house.”