Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Saturday that the relevant authorities had promptly responded to the appearance of African Swine Fever (ASF) at an isolated pig farm in east Croatia, and swift and strict restrictions were immediately imposed.

The Ministry of agriculture on Friday stated that a case of ASF was detected at a pig farm at Gradište near the city of Vinkovci and that all the pigs at the location have been euthanised and all other restrictive measures have been taken in the meantime.

Unfortunately, this disease exists all the time in many European Union member-states, in non-EU members in our neighbourhood, and it is difficult to follow how the virus may occur, said Plenković after he cast his ballot in the intra-party elections for the leadership of his ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Zagreb.

Swift response is most important when this disease is detected and instructions proposed by the professional experts must be complied with, he said.

As for the Gender Studies programme, Plenkovic said that it was misinterpreted that the programme was rejected.

The study programme, which has been proposed to be taught at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, is not rejected, the initiators of the programme have been told to send applications in another procedure, according to Plenkovic’s explanation.

Asked by the press about the position of the Homeland Movement (DP), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, which insists on the rejection of such study programme, as part of the ruling coalition’s cooperation agreement, the PM answered that the matter is within the remit of the autonomy of the university and plans for accreditation and verification of programmes in compliance with the rules.

As for the ongoing negotiations between Podravka and Fortenova on the acquisition of the latter’s agricultural sector by the Koprivnica-based group, Plenkovic said that it as excellent that the companies (agribusinesses) remain in the Croatian hands.