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Croatia euthanizes 341 pigs in illegal transport case
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Energy & Infrastructure

Croatia euthanizes 341 pigs in illegal transport case

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Croatian authorities euthanized 341 pigs illegally transported from a region under African swine fever restrictions.
  • The Minister of Agriculture stated the transport was an illegal act aimed at evading quarantine, a major cause of disease spread.
  • The farm owner disputes the necessity of euthanasia, offering to pay a fine instead, but acknowledges improper animal marking.

Croatian authorities have euthanized 341 pigs that were illegally transported from Slavonia to the Varazdin region, a move justified by the Minister of Agriculture, David Vlajฤiฤ‡, as necessary to prevent the spread of African swine fever.

Clearly, the owner wanted to hide the pigs, because his area is under a ban from today. So, the owner was caught, along with the trucks and his people, illegally transporting pigs.

โ€” David Vlajฤiฤ‡Minister of Agriculture, David Vlajฤiฤ‡, explaining the rationale behind the euthanasia of illegally transported pigs.

Vlajฤiฤ‡ confirmed the state inspectorate's action, stating that the illegal transport of animals is a primary driver of the disease. He explained that the pigs were moved just before their original area was declared a quarantine zone, indicating the owner's attempt to circumvent restrictions. "Clearly, the owner wanted to hide the pigs, because his area is under a ban from today. So, the owner was caught, along with the trucks and his people, illegally transporting pigs," Vlajฤiฤ‡ told Dnevnik Nove TV.

The minister also highlighted further irregularities, including forged veterinary documents and improper animal identification. He noted that while some documentation existed for 330 of the pigs, only one had an ear tag, comparing the situation to a car with a forged chassis number. "An ear tag is like a car's chassis number. What does it mean to have documentation for a car, but have a forged chassis number?" he asked.

An ear tag is like a car's chassis number. What does it mean to have documentation for a car, but have a forged chassis number?

โ€” David Vlajฤiฤ‡Minister of Agriculture, David Vlajฤiฤ‡, illustrating the severity of improper animal identification.

Draลพen Loziฤ‡, the farm owner, acknowledged that the pigs were not properly marked with ear tags, attributing this to an employee's oversight. He expressed willingness to pay a fine but questioned the necessity of euthanizing healthy animals. He suggested that the veterinary inspection could have issued a penalty instead. Vlajฤiฤ‡, however, insisted that all parties must take responsibility, emphasizing the serious consequences such actions have on Croatian pig farming due to the spread of African swine fever.

He expressed willingness to pay a fine but questioned the necessity of euthanizing healthy animals.

โ€” Draลพen Loziฤ‡Farm owner Draลพen Loziฤ‡'s reaction to the euthanasia of his pigs.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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