Croatian Farmers Alarmed as Foot-and-Mouth Disease Spreads

Croatian farmers are growing more worried as foot-and-mouth disease continues to advance towards their nation.

The Agriculture Minister of Croatia, David Vlajčić, has indicated that the country is taking all required and suitable actions to stop an outbreak; however, farmers continue to be apprehensive about the potential for the illness to affect their animals.

"If you ask my opinion, I'd totally seal off our borders from Western nations. We've already stopped importing calves, cows, and hoofed animals, as well as—well, I'm not sure about this—one type of animal feed. But honestly, trying to stop everything feels like fighting the air and the wind," explains Antonio Kerovec, a farmer based in the Slavonia area.

Foot-and-mouth disease poses greater risks compared to African swine fever and impacts all cloven-hoofed creatures including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.

Andrija Stjepanek worries about his income if the illness reaches his farm.

"It's akin to an outbreak of African swine fever—it hits, and it's all over. This implies that our livestock will need to be culled entirely, and who will compensate us for those animals? And more importantly, who will cover the costs and reimburse us for this loss?" explains Stjepanek.

In late March, Slovakia announced a state of emergency aiming to combat foot-and-mouth disease after identifying three distinct instances in livestock operations. Further confirmations have brought the total count of impacted sites up to six.

A fresh occurrence of the illness was likewise detected in Hungary, roughly 15 kilometers from the Slovak border close to Bratislava.

Currently, border controls and closures are implemented between Slovakia and Hungary along with their neighboring countries—the Czech Republic and Austria.