Owner claims healthy pigs killed over missing tags

Croatian authorities have halted the transport of 341 black Slavonian pigs, citing a lack of mandatory ear tags as a measure to prevent the spread of African swine fever. The animals were en route to a new facility when the issue was flagged near Jalžabet.

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They killed my pigs that were being sent from our facility to another facility. The pigs were sent on Friday morning, veterinary papers were obtained on Thursday afternoon from the competent veterinary institution. My employee made a mistake, because he did not put ear tags, for that mistake a fine is prescribed, but by no means is it prescribed that these animals, which have proper documentation, should be sent for euthanasia.

Dražen Lozić, the owner of the pigs, asserts that the animals possessed all necessary veterinary documentation and that the missing ear tags were an oversight by his staff. He argues that such an error should only warrant a financial penalty, not the euthanasia of healthy animals. "They killed my pigs that were being sent from our facility to another facility," Lozić stated, adding that he has a "certificate confirming that there is no obstacle to moving the animals."

Veterinary inspector Dario Ivaniš, who noticed the unmarked pigs, supported the intervention, stating it protected the area from potential disease spread. The incident occurred in an area where African swine fever has been reported. Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that the timely reaction avoided a scenario with severe consequences for pig farming in the Varaždin county, particularly concerning a nearby farm housing approximately 3,000 pigs.

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We haven't received any document that our pigs were killed, when I get the document, we will seek legal protection. We have a confirmation issued by the competent Veterinary Institution, the confirmation is called a Certificate, which confirms that there is no obstacle to moving the animals.

Lozić, who identifies as the largest producer of black Slavonian pigs, plans to pursue legal action once he receives official documentation confirming the pigs' fate. He maintains that the animals were healthy and that their killing was not legally justified for the mistake made.

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I think this is a disaster, healthy animals, black Slavonian pigs, it is our mistake because the animals are not tagged. We are the largest producer of black Slavonian pigs, they should not have killed them under any circumstances. It's a mistake, legally it's not grounds for killing animals.