The veterinary inspectorate ordered the culling of 341 pigs after a spot check in the Varaždin area revealed serious irregularities in the transport of animals from a restricted zone imposed due to African swine fever. The measure was carried out on Saturday under the supervision of the inspectorate.
The inspection was triggered by a report from a licensed veterinarian who suspected irregularities in the transport of black Slavonian pigs. Inspectors found that the live animals had arrived in three vehicles. The shipment was accompanied by the required documentation, yet 340 of the 341 pigs lacked the mandatory identification tags.
The single marked animal bore a tag that did not correspond to the dispatch point or the accompanying documentation. Furthermore, the records listed 330 pigs, whereas the inspection count identified eleven more. As the origin and health status of the animals could not be verified, the official ordered their culling.
A licensed veterinarian from the Varažtin station, Dario Ivaniš, told HRT’s Dnevnik that he had intervened after receiving a report about three trucks carrying pigs, marked with the locations Belišće and Osijek, which had arrived at a farm in Kelemene, in the municipality of Jalžabet — in close proximity to a farm where the station keeps approximately 3,000 pigs. One truck, he explained, was already entering the farm, prompting him to halt the unloading. An inspection revealed that none of the pigs had the required ear tags, and the incident was reported to the state inspectorate.
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, David Horvat, stated on Saturday that a veterinarian in Jalžabet had prevented the unloading of more than 300 pigs brought in from Slavonia, describing it as “a person’s responsibility having possibly averted a catastrophe” for Croatian pig farming. According to N1, the animals had been transported from an area where a disease outbreak had been confirmed.
