The Regulations open a 15-day deadline for support to sheep and goat milk producers

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries published the Ordinance on the Implementation of the Support Program for the Preservation of Milk Production in the Area of Restriction Zones Due to the Outbreak of Sheep and Goat Pox on October 26, 2026, in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) no. 122/2026, under official reference 1460. The Ordinance opens a deadline of 15 days from the date of entry into force for the submission of applications, with unit support of 1.45 EUR/kg for sheep milk and 0.90 EUR/kg for goat milk. The support is intended for producers whose facilities are covered by restriction zones in six continental counties.

Government Program and Legal Framework

The Ordinance is adopted based on Article 39, paragraph 5 of the Agriculture Act and implements the Support Program established by the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, class: 022-03/26-04/432, registry number: 50301-27/15-26-3, dated October 14, 2026. Support is granted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 1408/2013 on de minimis aid in the agricultural sector, as last amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3118 of December 10, 2024.

This is a measure linked to the decisions on restriction zones adopted based on Article 36, paragraph 5 of the Animal Health Act, issued by the relevant ministry, and the Order on Control and Prevention Measures for Sheep and Goat Pox in the Republic of Croatia (“Official Gazette”, no. 157/25 and 70/26). The Ordinance was signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister David Vlajčić, class: 404-01/26-01/64, registry number: 525-13/867-26-23, in Zagreb on October 21, 2026.

Two Support Measures

The Program distinguishes between two scenarios, depending on the location of the facility within the restriction zone:

• Measure 1 – support for sheep and goat milk producers whose facilities are located in the protection zone.
• Measure 2 – support for producers whose facilities are located in the surveillance zone or additional restriction zones.

Eligible beneficiaries are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises as defined in Article 2 of Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2022/2472 (Agricultural Exemption Regulation). The condition is that they have delivered milk to an approved food business operator dealing with food of animal origin and have at least one recorded delivery of sheep and/or goat milk in June 2026, in accordance with the Ordinance on the Mandatory Submission of Data in the Milk and Dairy Products Sector (“Official Gazette”, no. 130/21).

Amounts and Calculation Methodology

The unit amount of support per kilogram of milk represents the average price of milk in the continental part of Croatia in May 2026:

• 1.45 EUR/kg for sheep milk,
• 0.90 EUR/kg for goat milk.

In Measure 1, the amount is determined based on the recorded quantity of milk delivered in May 2026 and the delivery trends in 2025, from which the quantity of milk that would have been delivered in 2026 from the entry into the protection zone until the end of lactation is calculated. In Measure 2, the calculation starts from the average daily milk delivery from the farm, which is multiplied by the average price per kilogram and the number of days during which milk collection was impossible. For users who, due to the measures in the Order, depleted their herds and have no recorded delivery in July 2026, the methodology provided for Measure 1 is applied.

Zones, eligibility period, and budget

The eligibility period in Measure 2 is linked to three decisions: the Decision of June 13, 2026 (class: UP/I-322-01/25-01/290, ref. no.: 525-09/564-26-13), the Decision of June 19, 2026 (class: UP/I-322-01/25-01/290, ref. no.: 525-09/564-26-14) for the area of Bjelovarsko-bilogorska, Zagrebačka, Požeško-slavonska, Virovitičko-podravska, Koprivničko-križevačka, and Sisačko-moslavačka counties, and the Supplementary Decision (class: UP/I-322-01/25-01/290, ref. no.: 525-09/560-26-15) of June 27, 2026.

• For facilities from the Decision of June 13, 2026, the period begins on June 10, 2026.
• For the remaining area of the additional zone according to the Decision of June 19, 2026, the period begins on June 18, 2026.
• The period for an individual facility ends on the day the certificate of the performed veterinary examination in the restriction zone is issued from the Vetis system, up to and including July 15, 2026.

If, after receiving all requests, it is determined that the total amount exceeds the funds secured in the state budget for this purpose, the amount of support per user will be proportionally reduced.

How to submit a request

The request is completed via the protected web application AGRONET and submitted to the Agency for Payments in Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, which publishes the Instructions for submitting requests on its website. The applicant must print the Confirmation of request submission from AGRONET, certify it with a signature, or a signature and stamp for legal entities, and send it by registered mail with return receipt to the address Ulica grada Vukovara 269d, 10000 Zagreb, with the note “Support program for the preservation of milk production in the area of restriction zones due to the outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia”, or directly to the registry office of the Payments Agency. The date of delivery of the confirmation is considered the date of submission of the request.

Administrative control is carried out by the Payments Agency, which makes the decision on the approval of payment, the decision on failure to meet the conditions, or the decision to reject a request submitted after the deadline. An appeal against these decisions may be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In the case of unjustified payments, the user returns the funds according to the recovery decision.

Significance for family farms

The support is designed as compensation for the value of milk that was not collected from the moment the entity was included in a specific restriction zone until the conditions for resuming milk collection were created, thereby directly targeting family farms in six counties that were left without purchase due to veterinary measures. The Ordinance enters into force on the first day following the date of publication, so the deadline for submitting requests is short and requires applicants to have updated personal and business data in the Common Market Organizations module in AGRONET beforehand.

Source: Narodne novine, No. 122/2026 of October 26, 2026, Ordinance on the implementation of the Support Program for the preservation of milk production in the area of restriction zones due to the outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, NN 122/2026 – 1460, class: 404-01/26-01/64, urbroj: 525-13/867-26-23.