Croatian farmers demonstrate for the sixth day due to government measures aimed at curbing the swine fever epidemic

(Photo: Pixabay)

On Monday, the protest was extended to the county of Eszék-Baranya. The protesters are demanding that the government immediately end the killing of healthy pigs, pass a law that allows the trade of healthy pigs and the traditional way of slaughtering pigs. Ivica Backo, one of the members of the crisis tribe set up to protect Croatian villages, said: they will not move until the government authorizes the slaughter of pigs. The weather has cooled down, now is the time for pig necks – he emphasized, adding that they are not asking for anything new, only what they have been doing in Slavonia for centuries. Speaking to the press, Agriculture Minister Marija Vuckovic said: the government should listen to veterinarians and the profession when it comes to epidemic prevention. If they were to give in to the farmers’ demands, it would mean a step back in the fight against the infectious disease. Pigs may not be slaughtered in restricted areas, even for personal use, and live animals, meat, and meat products may not be transported outside the zone.

So far, slightly more than 25,000 pigs have been destroyed in the country.

The situation continues to be the worst in the Vukovar-Szerémség county in eastern Croatia. The epidemic has so far affected 1,087 farms in the country’s counties bordering Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Re-breeding will not be possible on closed farms until 2025 at the earliest, which is why many farmers have decided to stop raising pigs. The Croatian government is providing support in the amount of 7.5 million euros to those farmers who had to destroy their pig herds in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

MTI