African swine fever outbreak spreads across Croatia and Serbia

An outbreak of African swine fever has escalated in the Balkans. In Croatia, 89 infection sites have been recorded, prompting the culling of more than 60,000 pigs and the extension of protective and monitoring zones in the eastern counties of Osijek-Baranja and Virovitica-Podravina. The government has spent €50.8 million on mitigation, including compensation to farmers and bio‑security upgrades.

In Serbia, the virus is active in seven districts covering 52 settlements, leading authorities to declare a state of emergency in several municipalities. Approximately 28,000 wild and domestic pigs have been killed, and stringent measures such as movement restrictions, forced euthanasia of suspect animals, increased border controls and intensified veterinary inspections have been introduced.

Neighboring countries, including Hungary and Montenegro, have reported similar spread and are implementing heightened surveillance, biosafety protocols and coordination with regional crisis teams to prevent further transmission.

The response across the region involves crisis task forces, mandatory reporting of suspect cases, disinfection of equipment and vehicles, and temporary bans on pig-related product imports from affected zones.