Over the past three years, nearly 75,000 pigs in Croatia have been euthanized at facilities within ASF outbreak zones. Direct and indirect financial damages exceed €100 million. Prof. PhD Vladimir Margeta from the Department for Animal Production and Biotechnology at the Faculty of Agribiotechnical Sciences Osijek provided an overview of African swine fever in Croatia

ASF Current Situation

African Swine Fever was first detected in Croatia in June 2023 across two settlements in Vukovar-Srijem County. It rapidly spread throughout nearly the entire county and subsequently reached parts of Osijek-Baranja and Brod-Posavina counties. This rapid spread was driven by an inadequate initial response from relevant authorities in the early days of the outbreak, alongside a lack of adherence to prescribed biosecurity measures by some pig keepers. In 2023, ASF was confirmed at a total of 1,124 pig-holding facilities, illustrating the scale of the epidemic. Although experts recommended a complete depopulation/culling of wild boars in forests as the main reservoir of infection, this was not implemented at the time, allowing the virus to continue circulating among wild boars.

In 2024, the situation temporarily stabilized, with the disease confirmed at 6 farms and in 40 wild boars. However, in 2025, a secondary outbreak occurred—this time in the northern parts of Osijek-Baranja County and partially in Vukovar-Srijem County—affecting 53 farms. Most concerning, however, were nearly 500 confirmed ASF cases in wild boars. Only then was a decree passed for a partial (rather than full) cull of wild boars in hunting grounds adjacent to infected zones. Because this order was not executed to the full extent or manner required, Croatia faced another epidemic wave in 2026, primarily in the western parts of Osijek-Baranja County and the eastern parts of Virovitica-Podravina County. This wave affected 130 domestic pig farms and approximately 200 wild boars. It was not until 2026 that a mandatory order for the complete culling of wild boars in infected areas was finally issued.

Causes and Consequences

Currently, the Republic of Croatia is the most affected European country regarding the spread of ASF, after Romania and Serbia. A specific feature of the Croatian outbreak is that ASF occurs predominantly among domestic pig producers, whereas in most other European countries, the virus is primarily detected within the wild boar population.

Several factors contribute to this situation:

• Inadequate Early Response: Slow initial action by responsible services when ASF first appeared in 2023.
• Delayed Wild Boar Management: Neglecting wild boars as the primary infection reservoir and failing to address the issue early on through total culling.
• Non-compliance with Biosecurity: Failure by pig keepers to strictly adhere to biosecurity protocols. This was fueled by public narratives framing ASF as a “fabricated disease,” a “political conspiracy,” or an effort by EU powers to destroy Croatian farmers.
• Unregistered Livestock: Inspections revealed a significant number of unregistered pigs outside official monitoring, serving as potential vectors for infection.
• Illegal Transport & Public Events: Illegal transport of pigs and pork products along the border regions of the Danube and Sava rivers, combined with traditional public events and cured-meat competitions.

Together, these factors created a critical epidemiological situation, threatening pig production across eastern Croatia. On a positive note, recent data indicates that no new ASF cases have been reported among domestic pig keepers since August 4th of this year.

Over the past three years, nearly 75,000 pigs have been euthanized at facilities within ASF outbreak zones. Direct and indirect financial damages exceed €100 million. Indirect losses are evident in the permanent closure of pig farming operations on an estimated 50%+ of farms where ASF was confirmed.

Conclusion

ASF currently represents the single greatest threat to Croatian pig farming, agriculture, and the broader economy of eastern Croatia. International experience demonstrates that the virus cannot be eradicated overnight using currently available methods. Instead, farming practices and biosecurity protocols must adapt to a permanent viral presence in the environment. Raising awareness among pig owners and actively countering misinformation in the public sphere are essential steps toward minimizing the impact of future outbreaks.

For further information on this topic, please feel free to contact:

Prof. Dr. Sc. Vladimir Margeta
Faculty of Agribiotechnical Sciences Osijek Department for Animal Production and Biotechnology
e-mail: vmargeta@fazos.hr; phone: +385 91 612 9789

About African swine fever

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral contagious disease affecting domestic and wild pigs, manifesting as hemorrhagic fever with an extremely high mortality rate (up to 100%). The disease poses no threat to humans or other animal species, but solely to domestic pigs and wild boars. The primary source of infection is the wild boar population in which the ASF virus circulates. A key characteristic of the ASF virus is its high resistance to environmental factors, allowing it to persist in the environment in affected areas over long periods. To date, no vaccine against ASF has been developed. Consequently, there is no method for eradication once an outbreak occurs other than implementing strict biosecurity measures, including the culling of domestic pigs on affected farms and locations.