Professor Ivica Kišić from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb described the situation as “alarming”, stressing that the source of the outbreak was a failure in biosecurity measures on one of the farms:
“We cannot blame the climate, nor Zagreb, nor Brussels. Someone violated the protocol, and that is precisely what caused the infection.”
He noted that with 50,000 pigs already culled in previous outbreaks, the country’s self-sufficiency in pork has dropped to 30–35%.
Kišić also warned that pork prices will rise, driven by simple supply and demand dynamics:
“Pork will inevitably become more expensive. We must take control seriously and strictly follow the rules.”
He further cautioned that if the virus reaches reproductive centers, it could take up to ten years to rebuild Croatia’s pig population, with financial losses nearly impossible to estimate.
Calling for decisive action, Kišić underlined the need for additional resources and military involvement:
“This is the line we must not cross. It is high time for the army to step in and help organize the fight against this threat.”
While ASF poses no risk to humans, it is deadly to pigs and its further spread could have catastrophic consequences for Croatia’s farming sector and undermine the nation’s food security.
PigUA.info based on materials from slobodenpecat.mk