New control measures for African swine fever: restriction zones and bans on the movement of pigs

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries David Vlajčić has issued the Order on Control Measures for the Eradication of African Swine Fever in the Republic of Croatia, published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 107/2026 of September 23, 2026, under official article designation 1289. The Order establishes restriction zones I, II, and III and prohibits the movement, slaughter, and outdoor keeping of pigs. It enters into force on the first day following the date of publication.

Legal Basis and Scope of Application

The Order was issued based on Article 7 paragraph 6, Article 36 paragraph 6, and Article 40 of the Animal Health Act (»Official Gazette«, No. 152/22 and 154/22), and was signed in Zagreb on September 21, 2026, under Class: 322-01/24-01/52 and Registry Number: 525-09/560-26-121.

Due to the occurrence of African swine fever in wild or kept pigs, restricted areas are designated, which include a protection zone, a surveillance zone, an infected zone, restriction zone I, restriction zone II, and restriction zone III. In these zones, the provisions of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 are applied in an appropriate manner.

Upon the entry into force of this Order, the previous Order on Control Measures for the Eradication of African Swine Fever in the Republic of Croatia (»Official Gazette«, No. 154/2025, 74/2026, and 95/26) ceases to be valid.

What is Prohibited in Restriction Zones

In restriction zones, in addition to the general measures applicable throughout the country, the following are prohibited:

• movement of pigs into, within, and out of restriction zones
• slaughter of pigs in slaughterhouses and slaughter of pigs on-site for own needs
• keeping pigs outdoors, including grazing and temporary release of pigs into outdoor pens
• movement of germplasm products, by-products of animal origin, as well as fresh meat and meat products, including offal, derived from pigs kept in restriction zones
• entry of unauthorized persons into facilities where pigs are kept
• removal of solid manure, slurry, and wastewater from facilities, feeding pigs with fresh grass and hay, and bringing in bedding and straw collected from agricultural areas in restriction zones
• bringing food for human consumption, especially pork and pork products, into facilities where pigs are kept

Exceptions to these prohibitions are possible only upon fulfillment of the conditions prescribed by the Order and with the approval of the competent authorities.

Events, Hunting, and Wild Boar

Organizers of events where pork is exhibited and/or consumed outside of registered or approved facilities are obliged to obtain consent for holding the event from the local and regional self-government unit. They must submit the consent to the inspection of the State Inspectorate and announce the event at least 14 days before the planned date of the event, providing data on the entities that will exhibit and the origin of the products.

Hunting for wild boar is prohibited in the area of counties where restriction zones I, II, or III have been established, as well as participation in hunting for household members and staff of facilities where pigs are kept. In hunting grounds covered by the protection zone, surveillance zone, and infected zone, wild boar hunting is permitted exclusively through individual hunting. Hunting leaseholders and forest owners are obliged to report without delay any unusual behavior of wild boar, the appearance of disease, and every dead wild boar, and every wild boar is subject to mandatory testing for African swine fever.

Biosecurity, slaughter, and repopulation

On facilities where five or more breeding pigs or more than 50 pigs in total are kept, as well as on all facilities in restriction zones from which pigs are moved, a written biosecurity plan must be developed and implemented. Slaughtering pigs for own needs is permitted in restriction zones I, II, III and the infected zone on facilities that meet biosecurity conditions, subject to a clinical examination by an authorized veterinarian within 24 hours before slaughter and notification of slaughter at least 48 hours in advance; meat obtained in this manner must not be placed for public consumption.

For facilities emptied due to suspicion or confirmation of disease, repopulation is provided for by decision of the competent inspection, with a deadline for the delivery of pigs of 60 days from the receipt of the decision and control measures for at least 30 days from the delivery of pigs. Entities that have upgraded their facilities may submit a request for repopulation no earlier than after the expiration of 3 months from the preliminary cleaning and disinfection.

Costs and inspection supervision

The costs of implementing measures — census, sampling, diagnostic searching, clinical examinations, disinfection and culling of pigs, as well as compensations related to wild boar, including compensation to a natural person for reporting a found wild boar carcass — are covered by the state budget.

Supervision is carried out by the competent inspectors of the State Inspectorate, who are obliged to conduct inspections of facilities, hunting grounds, and events, and to submit quarterly and annual reports to the Directorate for Veterinary Medicine and Food Safety of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. On facilities that do not meet the conditions for keeping pigs, the inspection determines measures to eliminate non-compliance within a period that cannot be longer than 15 days, otherwise the pigs are sent for slaughter or culling.

The order directly affects pig breeders, hunters, organizers of fairs and events, and entities in the meat business in counties where restriction zones have been established. It introduces strict conditions for movement and slaughter, mandatory documentation and supervision, while simultaneously shifting the burden of implementing measures to the state budget.

Regulation on control measures for the eradication of African swine fever in the Republic of Croatia — »Narodne novine« no. 107/2026, art. 1289, p. 4; Class: 322-01/24-01/52, Reg. no: 525-09/560-26-121, Zagreb, September 21, 2026.; signatory: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister David Vlajčić.