ZAGREB, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Croatia is strengthening its containment measures against African swine fever (ASF) to protect the domestic pig farming sector, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries David Vlajcic said on Saturday.
In a statement sent to the media, Vlajcic said that official data confirmed 89 ASF outbreaks in pig establishments nationwide, with 2,822 pigs culled so far. On Friday, 12 new positive establishments were confirmed. The infection is now approaching the country's largest production systems.
Despite more than 50 million euros (57 million U.S. dollars) invested in disease control since 2023, Vlajcic warned that domestic production remains under threat from serious regulatory violations, including the illegal transport and keeping of unregistered pigs.
Vlajcic further said the national crisis headquarters for ASF will convene early next week to adopt additional protective measures.
Vlajcic emphasized that the current goal is to preserve healthy pig stocks and avoid unnecessary euthanasia. The government will establish a sectoral organization linking producers and processors to ensure the timely marketing of healthy pigs and mitigate economic losses.
Despite its rapid spread and high mortality rate among pigs, ASF poses no threat to human health. The virus does not infect people and cannot be transmitted through the consumption of pork. However, it can cause severe economic losses in the farming sector. ■