Extended support for pigs from restriction zone III with a new ten-day deadline

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries David Vlajčić has adopted the Ordinance on Amendments to the Ordinance on the Implementation of the State Aid Program for the Compensation of the Reduced Value of Fattening Pigs Delivered for Slaughter from Restriction Zone III Due to the Application of Special Measures for the Control of African Swine Fever. The Ordinance was published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 129/2026 of November 9, 2026, under serial number 1530. By this Ordinance, the deadline from Article 4 is moved from February 28, 2026, to August 31, 2026, and a ten-day deadline for submitting new requests is introduced.

The Ordinance was adopted based on Article 39, paragraph 5 of the Agriculture Act (“Official Gazette” No. 118/18, 42/20, 127/20 – Decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia, 52/21, 152/22, and 152/24) and amends the Ordinance on the Implementation of the State Aid Program published in “Official Gazette” No. 123/24 and 118/25. It was signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister David Vlajčić in Zagreb on November 5, 2026, under the markings Class: 404-01/24-01/47 and Registry Number: 525-13/857-26-51.

Restriction Zones I, II, and III, including bans on the movement and slaughter of pigs, were established by the Order on Control Measures for the Eradication of African Swine Fever (“Official Gazette” No. 107/2026, Class: 322-01/24-01/52, Registry Number: 525-09/560-26-121). Since pigs from restriction zone III cannot enter regular trade, the state compensates for the difference in the value of fattening pigs delivered for slaughter.

Deadline extension for a full six months

Article 1 of the Ordinance replaces the words “until February 28, 2026” with the words “until August 31, 2026” in Article 4 of the basic act. This extends the program’s coverage period by six months, until the end of August 2026.

Article 2 amends Article 8, paragraph 4, point a) so that scans of issued invoices or purchase blocks refer to heads of pigs delivered directly to the slaughterhouse in the following periods:

• from March 1, 2024, to August 31, 2024
• from September 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025
• from March 1, 2025, to August 31, 2025
• from September 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026
• from March 1, 2026, to August 31, 2026

The condition is that the heads are recorded in the classification and marking system on the slaughter line as T1 or T2, and the documentation is submitted in PDF format.

Bank statements and analytical cards instead of old evidence

The structure of the evidence attached to the request has also been amended. Point b) now prescribes evidence of the received payment in the form of bank statements for the invoices or purchase blocks from point a), in PDF format.

A new point c) is introduced – evidence of the received payment in the form of an analytical customer card for the invoices or purchase blocks, also in PDF format. The previous point c) is deleted, and the reference in paragraph 6 to paragraphs 7, 8, 9, and 10 is replaced by a reference to paragraphs 7 to 11.

Ten days for requests from the production period until August 2026.

The new paragraph 11 of Article 8 establishes a special deadline for the period extended by this Ordinance: »(11) The deadline for submitting Requests from paragraph 1 of this Article for pig heads delivered to the slaughterhouse in the period from March 1, 2026, to August 31, 2026, is 10 days from the date this Ordinance enters into force.«

The Ordinance enters into force on the first day following its publication in the »Narodne novine«, therefore November 9, 2026, so the deadline for those requests expires on November 19, 2026. Article 3 simultaneously aligns Article 9 paragraph 3 of the Ordinance: requests submitted outside the deadlines specified in Article 8 paragraphs 7 to 11 will not be considered.

What the changes mean for breeders

The amendment closes the gap that occurred on March 1, 2026, when the previous program coverage expired, and does so retroactively, as it covers heads delivered from that date until the end of August 2026. For breeders in restriction zone III, the key practical consequence is the short deadline: the request with complete documentation, including bank statements or the buyer’s analytical card, must be submitted within ten days of publication, and late requests will be rejected.

Source: Narodne novine, no. 129/2026, November 9, 2026, act 1530 – Ordinance on Amendments to the Ordinance on the Implementation of the State Support Program for the Compensation of the Reduced Value of Fattening Pigs Delivered for Slaughter from Restriction Zone III Due to the Application of Special Measures for the Control of African Swine Fever. Class: 404-01/24-01/47, Ref. No: 525-13/857-26-51, Zagreb, November 5, 2026; signatory: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister David Vlajčić, signed.