Croatia lifts some measures imposed due to foot-and-mouth disease

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The new regulation repeals the ban on the import of live animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other ungulates) from Hungary and Slovakia, but introduces additional measures to prevent risks, allowing only clinically healthy animals to be imported from countries where tests for the disease have shown negative results.

Susceptible animals may only be transported to Croatia by road vehicles, directly from the establishment of origin to the final destination

The entry of road vehicles carrying susceptible animals and raw milk from Hungary and Slovakia will continue to be possible only at certain checkpoints: until 15 May 2025 at the former Croatian-Hungarian border crossing points of Gorican and Dubosevica, and from 16 May 2025 only at the Gorican crossing point. No other animals may be present in the establishments to which animals are transported from outside the restricted areas of Hungary and Slovakia, and their transfer to other areas is prohibited for 14 days, or after that until clinical examinations have been carried out. If the place of destination is a slaughterhouse, no other animals may be present in the slaughterhouse upon arrival. The animals must undergo a mandatory clinical examination upon unloading and must be slaughtered separately from other animals. The slaughterhouse must then be disinfected, and the regulation also defines measures for vehicles transporting animals.

The ministry justified the relaxations by saying that the epidemiological situation in Hungary and Slovakia had improved

At the same time, it called on farms and establishments keeping ungulates, especially those transporting animals from countries where the disease has been registered, to act responsibly and comply with all provisions of the regulation.

MTI